In November 2021, TSMC and Japan's Sony Semiconductor Corporation jointly announced (Figure 1) that the two parties will jointly invest in the establishment of a new chip manufacturing joint venture in Japan, which will be called "Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Company".
Note: The English name of Sony Semiconductor Corporation of Japan is "Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation", abbreviated as "SSS", and the English name of Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation is "Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing", abbreviated as "JASM".
Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is located in Kikuyo Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, with the initial goal of providing 22 28nm chip foundry manufacturing services, and the project started construction in April 2022 and has been basically completed.
The company plans to hold an opening ceremony on February 24, 2024, but it will not be able to start production immediately, and it will need to carry out subsequent equipment installation and commissioning, and all related work will be completed, and the official production is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, and the new company will eventually employ more than 1,700 people.
Japan's advanced semiconductor manufacturing company plans to use 28nm processes to make chips initially, although these manufacturing technologies are now seriously outdated and unable to make high-end processors for smartphones or computers, or high-end chips such as GPUs.
However, in addition to these two fields, there are many other fields that still have strong demand for 28nm chips, such as smart cars, industrial fields, etc., which usually do not require chips with particularly advanced processes.
Therefore, it is the best choice for the new company to produce and manufacture 28nm chips first, which is the best choice for the new company with small investment, low difficulty, short cycle, and quick benefits. Manufacturing 28nm chips is just the first step in the plan, and the two companies will continue to invest more in the future to build factories that can be used to manufacture chips with more advanced processes.
It is reported that TSMC will also build another wafer fab in Japan, which will be able to process wafers using TSMC's N16 (16nm) derivative improvement process, including N16, N12 and N12E, which belong to the 16nm and 12nm categories, respectively, and so on.
In addition, TSMC will set up an R&D center in Japan and carry out various collaborative projects with the University of Tokyo.
TSMC stationed in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, can not only enhance the ability to manufacture chips in Japan, but also further drive the development of related industrial chains in Japan, form an economic circle in the local area, and bring huge business opportunities.
According to rough estimates, the Kumamoto region will bring about 6Economic benefits of 9 trillion yen.
List of high-quality authors