Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) said yesterday it was still considering venue options for its new advanced wafer fab, contrary to a local media report earlier in the day that the chipmaker was planning to build a 1-nanometer wafer plant in Chiayi County.
While the world’s largest contract chipmaker did not directly comment on the matter of Chiayi as a potential location, TSMC said in a statement that the company would need to consider all factors before making a final decision on where to build the 1-nanometer fab.
The Chinese-language Economic Daily News cited unnamed sources as saying that TSMC had submitted an application to the authorities supervising the Chiayi section of the Southern Taiwan Science Park (南部科學園區) for 100 hectares of land so it could expand operations.
Photo: Dado Ruvic, Reuters
The report said TSMC was expected to use 60 of the 100-hectare parcel to build a 1-nanometer fab, while the remaining 40 hectares were to be used to set up an advanced IC packaging and testing plant to provide a one-stop service for its clients.
It is estimated that TSMC would spend more than NT$1 trillion (US$31.89 billion) in its 1-nanometer process development, the report said.
In the statement, TSMC said that Taiwan is the hub for the chipmaker’s worldwide expansion.
TSMC added that it was not ruling out any potential venue and that it would continue working with science park authorities to choose a location for the investment.
However, the chipmaker did not specify whether the authorities it was in discussions with were the Southern Taiwan Science Park, the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區) or the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區).
Last month, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) told a Taichung City Council hearing that TSMC would build a fab in the second phase of Central Taiwan Science Park expansion that would use more advanced technology than the 2-nanometer process.
TSMC is building a 2-nanometer fab in Hsinchu County’s Baoshan Township (寶山) with commercial production scheduled to start next year. The 2-nanometer production is to be expanded to Kaohsiung with two fabs planned.
Last week, TSMC said it was evaluating the possibility of building a third 2-nanometer process fab in Kaohsiung following strong demand.
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