The construction of a wafer fab in Japan to be run by a joint venture led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is to begin today.
Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), the joint venture, said that it signed an agreement with authorities in Kikuyo-machi in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, with company president Yuichi Horita announcing the schedule for the new plant’s construction.
The plant is expected to begin shipping products in December 2024, Horita said.
Photo: Cheng I-Hwa, Bloomberg
In November last year, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it would spend up to US$2.12 billion in equity investment on the wafer fab to establish a TSMC-majority-owned subsidiary to provide foundry services, with Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp (SSS) taking a less than 20 percent stake in the new company.
In February, Japan’s Denso Corp said it would take an at least a 10 percent stake in the joint venture.
The plant would cover 72,000m2 and feature office buildings in addition to production lines, JASM said.
The company would move its headquarters from Kumamoto City to Kikuyo-machi once construction is completed, it said.
The plant would employ 1,700 people, including about 230 TSMC employees to be sent from Taiwan and about 200 from Sony Group Corp, which owns SSS, JASM said, adding that it would recruit about 1,200 workers.
TSMC dispatched the first group of 10 technology professionals from Taiwan last month, JASM said.
Real estate agent and property developer JSL Construction & Development Co (愛山林) led the average compensation rankings among companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) last year, while contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) finished 14th. JSL Construction paid its employees total average compensation of NT$4.78 million (US$159,701), down 13.5 percent from a year earlier, but still ahead of the most profitable listed tech giants, including TSMC, TWSE data showed. Last year, the average compensation (which includes salary, overtime, bonuses and allowances) paid by TSMC rose 21.6 percent to reach about NT$3.33 million, lifting its ranking by 10 notches
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