The beginning of the construction of the plant TSMC in Japan it is getting closer. Proof of this is that the company has already formalized the creation of a joint venture with Sony for the development of the project. The company is called JASM (Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing), and if all goes according to plan, it will see that production at the new factory begins in 2024, and is fully operational by the end of 2024.
Total investment in the factory, which began construction last month, will be $ 7 billion. Its objective, rather than focusing on the development of state-of-the-art chips, will be to manufacture chips with 22 and 28 nanometer technology, with which to help alleviate the current chip shortage, as well as to prevent it from being repeated in the future.
Sony will invest $ 500 million in the joint venture, so it will be its minority shareholder and likely to have no more than 20% of its shares. The remaining amount will be contributed by TSMC.
According to him Sony CEO and President Terushi Shimizu, «As the global semiconductor shortage is expected to be protracted, we expect the partnership with TSMC to help ensure a stable supply of wafers, not only for us, but for the industry as a whole. We believe that this strengthening and deepening of our agreement with TSMC, which has the world’s leading semiconductor production technology, is extremely significant for the Sony Group.«.
For its part, CC Wei, CEO of TSMC, has highlighted that «The digital transformation of more and more aspects of human lives is creating incredible opportunities for our clients, and they depend on our specialized processes to bridge the gap between digital and real life. We are delighted to have the support of a long-time customer and prominent player, Sony, to bring a new factory in Japan to market, and we are also delighted at the opportunity to bring more Japanese talent to the global TSMC family.«.
On the other hand, TSMC has also confirmed, after weeks of rumors, the building another factory, independent of the one that will arise in Japan. It will be, according to Taiwan News, in Kaohsiung, a town located in the southern part of Taiwan. It will be dedicated to the manufacture of chips with 7 and 22 nanometer technology, and construction will begin throughout 2022. If all goes according to the company’s plans, it will also begin mass-producing chips throughout 2024.
