Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, plans to sign a memorandum for comprehensive collaboration with Japan’s Kyushu University covering training and joint research on semiconductors, the **Yomiuri Shimbun** reported yesterday.
TSMC is expected to hold seminars at the university and the two plan to conduct joint studies and write papers together, the newspaper cited sources close to the university as saying.
They are also considering an internship program, under which Kyushu University students would be dispatched to TSMC operations in Taiwan, it said.
Photo: Mike Kai Chen, Bloomberg
The agreement would be TSMC’s first of its kind with a Japanese university after the chipmaker launched its first semiconductor manufacturing fab in Kumamoto Prefecture in late February as it aims to improve chip supply resilience and help revive Japan’s semiconductor industry.
The Kumamoto fab is slated to start mass production in the fourth quarter of this year, and TSMC plans to build a second fab in the prefecture — with partners Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp, Denso Corp and Toyota Motor Corp — which is scheduled to start operations by the end of 2027.
With TSMC’s arrival, Kyushu, where Kumamoto Prefecture is situated, is expected to see a shortfall of 1,000 technical experts in the semiconductor industry per year over the next decade, the **Yomiuri Shimbun** said.
To ensure sufficient talent for its operations, TSMC believes it is necessary to work with Kyushu University, it said.
Separately, Japan and the US are to announce closer cooperation in high-tech areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) in a joint statement when Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with US President Joe Biden this month, the **Asahi Shimbun** reported on Saturday.
Biden is set to host Kishida for an official visit to the US on Wednesday next week.
Calling ties between the allies a "global partnership," the joint statement is to advocate stronger cooperation in AI and semiconductors, **Asahi** said without citing its sources.
As part of the agreement, Japan and the US would likely set up a framework for AI research and development, working with Nvidia Corp, Arm Holdings PLC and Amazon.com Inc, among others, the newspaper said.
The US has moved aggressively in the past few months to halt shipments of advanced AI chips to China, in its efforts to stop Beijing from getting cutting-edge US technology that could strengthen its military.
PATENTS: MediaTek Inc said it would not comment on ongoing legal cases, but does not expect the legal action by Huawei to affect its business operations Smartphone integrated chips designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) on Friday said that a lawsuit filed by Chinese smartphone brand Huawei Technologies Co (華為) over alleged patent infringements would have little impact on its operations. In an announcement posted on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, MediaTek said that it would not comment on an ongoing legal case. However, the company said that Huawei’s legal action would have little impact on its operations. MediaTek’s statement came after China-based PRIP Research said on Thursday that Huawei filed a lawsuit with a Chinese district court claiming that MediaTek infringed on its patents. The infringement mentioned in the lawsuit likely involved
Taipei is today suspending work, classes and its US$2.4 trillion stock market as Typhoon Gaemi approaches Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain. The nation is not conducting securities, currency or fixed income trading, statements from its stock and currency exchanges said. Authorities had yesterday issued a warning that the storm could affect people on land and canceled some ship crossings and domestic flights. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) expects its local chipmaking fabs to maintain normal production, the company said in an e-mailed statement. The main chipmaker for Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp said it has activated routine typhoon alert
GROWTH: TSMC increased its projected revenue growth for this year to more than 25 percent, citing stronger-than-expected demand for AI devices and smartphones The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) yesterday raised its forecast for Taiwan’s GDP growth this year from 3.29 percent to 3.85 percent, as exports and private investment recovered faster than it predicted three months ago. The Taipei-based think tank also expects that Taiwan would see a 8.19 percent increase in exports this year, better than the 7.55 percent it projected in April, as US technology giants spent more money on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and development. “There will be more AI servers going forward, but it remains to be seen if the momentum would extend to personal computers, smartphones and
Catastrophic computer outages caused by a software update from one company have once again exposed the dangers of global technological dependence on a handful of players, experts said on Friday. A flawed update sent out by the little-known security firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc brought airlines, TV stations and myriad other aspects of daily life to a standstill. The outages affected companies or individuals that use CrowdStrike on the Microsoft Inc’s Windows platform. When they applied the update, the incompatible software crashed computers into a frozen state known as the “blue screen of death.” “Today CrowdStrike has become a household name, but not in