TSMC to hold first board meeting in Japan: Source

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has scheduled a board meeting in Kumamoto on Monday, marking the first time the world's largest contract chipmaker will hold such a meeting in Japan, a source close to the event said on Thursday.

According to the source who requested anonymity, Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯), head of the National Development Council and a representative of the government as an institutional board director of TSMC, will travel to Kumamoto to attend the meeting.

The board meeting in Kumamoto has been planned by TSMC after C.C. Wei (魏哲家), chairman and CEO of the company, met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier on Thursday, the source said.

• TSMC to make advanced 3nm chips in Japan

In the meeting, Wei said the company was planning to produce the advanced 3 nanometer chips in its second fab in Kumamoto, to cater to growing global AI demand.

TSMC began mass production at its first plant in Kumamoto in late 2024, with backing from Japanese companies including Sony and Toyota.

Its second fab, which is still under construction, was originally to focus on manufacturing 6- to 12-nm chips, which are significantly less advanced than the 3nm process.

The facility is scheduled to begin production in late 2027.

According to Japanese news reports, Takaichi called the news "thrilling" and said her government was willing to provide financial support to see the plan through to fruition.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported TSMC's updated plans will bring its total investment in the second fab to US$17 billion, up from US$12.2 billion.

In response to TSMC's plan to produce chips on the 3nm process in Kumamoto, Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) told reporters on Thursday that the chipmaker had mapped out its global investments to meet the needs of its clients.

In the current AI boom, Kung said, TSMC's investment plans were subject to changes in the market.

He added that despite its overseas expansion, TSMC was unlikely to cut its investments in Taiwan, and instead, the company was expected to pour more funds into the local market.