The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024.
According to the contract chipmaker’s financial statement released on Friday, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), a joint venture running the fab in Kumamoto, posted NT$951 million (US$30.19 million) in profit in the January-to-March period, compared with a loss of NT$1.39 billion in the previous quarter, and a loss of NT$3.25 billion in the first quarter of last year.
Analysts said the report showed improving production utilization.
Photo: Kyodo News via AP
The first Kumamoto fab uses mature processes, including 12, 16, 22 and 28-nanometer processes, for the automotive and industrial sectors, TSMC said.
JASM has also begun construction of a second fab in Kumamoto.
The second Kumamoto fab was to use the 6nm process, but the plan was adjusted since February to use the advanced 3nm process in response to strong global artificial intelligence (AI) demand.
In the US, TSMC’s wholly owned subsidiary TSMC Arizona Corp posted NT$18.81 billion in profit in the first quarter, up from NT$11.37 billion in the previous quarter and NT$496 million over the same period last year.
The Arizona subsidiary’s first quarter profit even surpassed the NT$16.14 billion recorded for the entirety of last year, TSMC said.
Analysts said the Arizona fab benefited from the AI boom, catering to major clients in the US.
The first Arizona started mass production in the fourth quarter of 2024, using the 4nm process. The second fab is to begin commercial production in the second half of next year, using the 3nm process.
Construction of the third fab in Arizona has started, while the chipmaker has filed applications to build a fourth fab and the first chip packaging plant there.
TSMC plans to spend US$165 billion to build six advanced fabs, two chip packaging plants, and a research and development center in Arizona.
In Dresden, Germany, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, in which TSMC owns a 70 percent stake, incurred NT$278 million in losses in the first quarter, with construction of a fab still underway.
TSMC said it received NT$505 million in subsidies from the governments of the US, Japan and Germany for its investments in those countries in the first quarter, falling sharply by 98.56 percent from a year earlier.
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