The National Science Council yesterday approved six investment projects totalling NT$241.16 billion (US$7.56 billion), including the construction of 12-inch wafer fabs by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in a Taichung science park.
Officials at the Cabinet-level council said TSMC, the world's largest made-to-order chipmaker, will invest NT$240 billion for the fabs in the the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區). The new fabs will use 65-nanometer and 45-nanometer process technology in the production of microchips.
Construction of the fabs will start in June 2007, with commercial operation in August 2008, the council said, adding that TSMC also plans to further expand the fabs in 2011 and 2014 in a bid to maximize its monthly production to 105,000 wafers.
But TSMC spokesman Tseng Jinn-haw (曾晉皓) told the Taipei Times yesterday that the company's investment in the science park is to meet its medium to long-term goals.
"We will not start the Taichung fabs until after our Fab-12 in Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) and Fab-14 in Souther Taiwan Science Park (南部科學園區) become fully loaded, and until our land at these two science parks are fully used," Tzeng said.
Aside from the TSMC investment, the council also approved proposals filed by seven high-tech firms in Hsinchu Science Park to boost their investment by NT$45.53 billion.
But the Hsinchu Science Park, cradle of the nation's high-tech ventures, saw its sales decline 15 percent to NT$446.2 billion in the first half of the year, compared to that in the same time period last year, due to the regressive performance of computer and peripheral products makers, whose sales dropped by 25 percent.
Still, Director-General of the Hsinchu Science Park Administration James Lee (李界木) said that investment from 58 potential investors might eventually bring in NT$8.4 billion to the park, reversing the recession.
"Due to potential investment in the park's base in Lungtan (龍潭), Taoyuan County, the park's annual sales this year might have about six percent growth than last year," Lee said.
The park's administration estimates that annual sales for the park might have increased to NT$1,15 trillion from NT$ 1.06 trillion last year.
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