Kaohsiung signs semiconductor MOU with Kumamoto, Arizona

Taipei, March 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Kaohsiung signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. state of Arizona and Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on Thursday (U.S. time), paving the way for a three-front partnership in semiconductor development, the city government said on Saturday.

In a statement, it said Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), who currently leads a Taiwan-Kumamoto joint delegation to the United States, inked the MOU with Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura, who was not part of the delegation and signed the agreement online.

The statement said the MOU marked a milestone for a Taiwanese local government to build international connections, safeguard global supply chain security, and strengthen the resilience of the democratic camp.

Cited by the statement, Chen said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has set up production footholds in Kaohsiung, Arizona and Kumamoto, strengthening economic and technological development in the three locations.

He claimed that TSMC's investments have built a friendship among the three places and that the MOU would ensure a trilateral semiconductor partnership across the Indo-Pacific region, without elaborating.

TSMC has started mass production at an advanced wafer fabrication plant in Kaohsiung, while the chipmaker has committed to investing US$165 billion in Arizona to build sophisticated wafer fabs and IC packaging facilities. It also operates a fab in Kumamoto, with a second one under construction.

Meanwhile, Hobbs was cited by the statement as saying that the U.S., Taiwan and Japan have forged a long-term partnership and the three economies have strongly committed to cooperation in an effort to strengthen their status in the global semiconductor development.

For his part, Kimura said the three sides are determined to push for cross border industrial collaboration to facilitate regional economic development.

After Arizona, Chen's delegation would be headed to San Jose, California, for the annual GPU Technology Conference (GTC) hosted by Nvidia Corp. March 16-19.

Chen, who departed for the U.S. on Wednesday, is scheduled to return to Taiwan on March 20.