TSMC seeking permit to build high-speed chip fab in central Taiwan

Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has applied for permission to construct a new plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park for the production of new high-speed wafers, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTS) said Saturday.

The NSTS, which supervises three major science parks in Taiwan, confirmed to CNA that the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau had received an application Friday from TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, to commence work on the new A14 fab.

According to information on the TSMC website, the A14 technology is designed to drive artificial intelligence transformation by delivering faster computing and greater power efficiency.

The A14 technology, or 1.4-nanometer process, will be 15 percent faster than the 2nm process at the same power, TSMC said. With a 30 percent power reduction, the 1.4nm chip will have the same speed as the 2nm, which is scheduled to start commercial production this year, the company said.

According to the U.S.-based tech website Wccftech, TSMC is aiming to begin construction of the A14 fab at the end of the year and start mass production in the second half of 2028. A recruitment campaign has begun for the new facility, which will receive initial investments of US$49 billion, the website said.

On Saturday, the Taichung City government said it will provide the necessary assistance for TSMC to smoothly carry out the second phase of its investment plan in the Central Taiwan Science Park.

In a statement, the city government said its Economic Development Bureau has set up one-stop services to facilitate the investment plans of enterprises in Taichung, to help create an investor-friendly environment.

The Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau will complete the preliminary work for the TSMC construction site by the end of October, thus allowing the company to start work soon after, according to the statement.

TSMC's new fab is expected to create NT$485.7 billion (US$15.87 billion) per year in production value and about 4,500 job openings, the city government said.

At an investor conference on Thursday, TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said that while the chipmaker is gearing up to expand its overseas production, it will also continue to invest in Taiwan.

TSMC is working on the development of the advanced 2nm process in Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, with the goal of starting mass production later this year, and the company will build more wafer fabs and IC assembly plants in Taiwan, he said.

The 2nm process is scheduled to start commercial production later this year.