VIS-NXP JV chip fab enters initial production stage

Singapore, Sept. 28 (CNA) A 12-inch (300mm) wafer fabrication plant in Tampines, Singapore, built by Taiwan-based Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp. (VIS) and the Netherlands' NXP Semiconductors N.V. has entered risk production, the facility's owner said Monday.

In a statement, VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (VSMC) said the fab produced its first trial batch of 40-nanometer wafers in June with a yield rate exceeding 99 percent and is expected to begin mass production in the first quarter of 2027.

The fab's current capacity is already fully booked by global customers, with monthly production expected to reach 44,000 12-inch wafers by 2029, according to VSMC, a joint venture in which VIS holds 60 percent and NXP 40 percent.

The fab will manufacture chips using mature specialty processes ranging from 40nm to 130nm, including embedded flash memory, power management and analog chips for automotive and industrial applications, VSMC said.

It will also produce interposers used in advanced chip packaging, an important component in artificial intelligence (AI) chips for customers such as Nvidia, Google and Broadcom, it added.

At a ceremony in Tampines on Monday, VIS Chairman Fang Leuh (方略) said VSMC has been working with Singaporean higher education institutions to cultivate local semiconductor talent.

Fang later told reporters that demand for power management and analog chips, particularly for industrial applications and data centers, continues to outpace supply.

With the new facility's production capacity already fully committed, Fang said VIS was evaluating building an adjacent fab to meet demand.

He added that VSMC currently employs about 1,000 people and plans to expand its workforce to around 1,600 as production ramps up.