Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd (TSMC) held last Saturday the opening ceremony for its majority-owned subsidiary Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc. (JASM) in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, bringing together suppliers, customers, business partners, academia and the Japanese government to show appreciation for their continued support and the joint effort that led to the success of the project.

Representatives from TSMC included TSMC Founder Dr. Morris Chang, TSMC Chairman Dr. Mark Liu, and TSMC CEO Dr. C.C. Wei, who all shared insightful remarks. During the event, Prime Minister Kishida announced through video that the Japanese government has decided to support the newly-announced expansion of JASM as a concrete example of its implementation of the Domestic Investment Promotion Package formulated in December last year.

Distinguished guests included Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party coalition in Semiconductor Strategy Akira Amari, Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagiuda, Kumamoto Governor Ikuo Kabashima, as well as representatives of key partners in establishing JASM: Sony Group Corp. Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, DENSO Corp. President and COO Shinnosuke Hayashi, Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda, and construction partner Kajima Corp. President Hiromasa Amano.

The opening marks a significant milestone for JASM, which was established in 2021 and started construction in April 2022, with production targeted to begin by the end of 2024. TSMC and minority investors Sony Semiconductor Solutions (SSS), DENSO and Toyota also recently announced further investment into JASM to build a second fab, which is scheduled to commence construction by the end of 2024 and begin operation by the end of the 2027 calendar year.

With both fabs, JASM’s Kumamoto site is expected to offer a total production capacity of more than 100,000 12-inch wafers per month starting from 40, 22/28, 12/16 and 6/7 nanometer process technologies for automotive, industrial, consumer and HPC-related applications. The overall investment in JASM will exceed US$20 billion with strong support from the Japanese government. The two fabs are expected to directly create more than 3,400 high-tech professional jobs.

In line with TSMC’s commitment to green manufacturing, JASM will implement rigorous sustainability practices including using 100% renewable energy when it starts operation, replenishing more than 100% of the groundwater it uses, and building a local supply chain.

“JASM will use the latest green manufacturing practices to produce best-in-class specialty semiconductor technology that will help to unleash innovation and bolster the Japanese economy for years to come,” said Dr. Liu. “We are thankful for the joint efforts of our partners in Japan whose unfaltering support has contributed greatly to the success of this project.”

“I am deeply moved that today’s opening ceremony is taking place just over three years after the request of Dr. C.C. Wei, CEO of TSMC for our support in their production in Japan. I believe the foundry business serves as the foundation for delivering numerous innovations and has made a significant contribution to economic and social development. We continue to support further contributions of TSMC and JASM toward overall industry growth,” said Sony Group’s Yoshida.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on today’s major milestone, the opening of JASM. The entire Japanese automotive industry is very grateful for the start of production of automotive semiconductors, and we will never forget the kindness of TSMC, who extended a helping hand to us when the automotive industry was unable to produce cars in the past due to a shortage of semiconductors. I hope that together with the people of Kumamoto, TSMC and JASM can further develop manufacturing in the region. Our industry has a broad base of 5.5 million people, and if we extend it to the mobility industry, it’s eight million of us who are moving towards the future together every day. We are committed to building an even better future with a wide range of stakeholders beyond the industry, based on trust and mutual understanding. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations, again,” said Toyoda.

By: DocMemory
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