KUMAMOTO, Japan, Feb. 24, 2024 – TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) held an 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.
TSMC said the opening marks a 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.
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 Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, DENSO Corporation President and COO Shinnosuke Hayashi, Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda, and construction partner Kajima Corporation President Hiromasa Amano.
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 TSMC Chairman Dr. Mark 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.”
