Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is seeking government approval for an advanced wafer fab at the Longtan (龍潭) campus of Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區), the park's bureau said today.
In a written reply, the Hsinchu Science Park Bureau said it would submit a proposal for the third phase of the Longtan Science Park (龍潭科學園區), including plans for a TSMC fab, later this month to the National Science and Technology Council for review.
Photo: An Rong Xu, Bloomberg
The contract chipmaker previously bid to build a fab using a process more advanced than its current 2-nanometer (nm) technology at the Longtan Campus, but the plan was shelved in 2023 due to opposition from residents.
After giving up the Longtan plan, TSMC shifted its focus to southern Taiwan and intensified its development of high-end technologies in Tainan and Kaohsiung.
A Chinese-language United Daily News report today said that many of the affected residents in Longtan have warmed to the TSMC fab, which is set to be built on up to 88 percent privately owned land.
Earlier this year, Hsinchu Science Park Bureau Director-General Hu Shi-min (胡世民) told reporters that the bureau had held two public hearings — one at the end of last year and the other earlier this year — on the third phase of the Longtan Campus.
The report cited sources familiar with the matter as saying TSMC is expected to develop "angstrom-class" processes, about 0.1nm, in Longtan to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence computing.
TSMC could pour about NT$500 billion to NT$600 billion (US$15.82 billion to US$18.98 billion) into the "angstrom" project to help its advanced technology development take firmer root in Taiwan, they said.
TSMC did not confirm whether it would build a new fab in Longtan, using the angstrom process, but said it did not rule out any possibility for new technology development.
TSMC said that with Taiwan as its major production base, the company would continue to work with the authorities to seek more appropriate venues for expansion.
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