TSMC’s Japan plan: 3nm by 2028

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to start mass production of 3-nanometer chips in Japan in 2028 at its second Kumamoto fab. (finance.yahoo.com) The revised plan calls for about 15,000 12-inch wafers a month at the new plant, according to a Taiwanese government filing reported on April 1. Chief Executive C.C. Wei had said in February that the second Japan fab would make 3-nanometer chips. (finance.yahoo.com) A wafer is the round silicon base used to print many chips at once, and a 3-nanometer process is a more advanced manufacturing generation than the 6-nanometer and 7-nanometer nodes previously tied to the site. TSMC’s earlier February 2024 plan for Kumamoto listed 40, 22/28, 12/16 and 6/7-nanometer production across the first and second fabs. (pr.tsmc.com) Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, the TSMC-led venture in Kumamoto Prefecture, was set up with Sony Semiconductor Solutions in 2021, and Denso and Toyota later joined as minority investors. TSMC said in February 2024 that the second fab was scheduled to begin operation by the end of calendar 2027. (pr.tsmc.com) That makes the 2028 3-nanometer target a shift in both timing and ambition for Japan’s chip push. The first Kumamoto fab started volume production in late 2024 and has been making chips for automotive and industrial uses at older process nodes. (finance.yahoo.com) Tokyo has backed the expansion with large subsidies as it tries to rebuild domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity after decades of decline. Seoul Economic Daily, citing NHK, reported that Japan has committed up to 732 billion yen for the second fab. (en.sedaily.com) TSMC has also been spreading production across Japan, the United States and Europe as customers ask for more geographically diverse supply. In its 2024 annual report, the company said its first Kumamoto specialty-technology fab began volume production at the end of 2024 with “very good yield.” (investor.tsmc.com) The second Kumamoto plant had already been the subject of delays and changing explanations. Data Center Dynamics reported that TSMC had previously planned 7-nanometer output there and that a 2025 delay came as the company prioritized expansion in the United States. (datacenterdynamics.com) If TSMC hits the 2028 schedule, Japan will move from hosting a specialty-node outpost to hosting one of the company’s more advanced chip lines. That would put Kumamoto closer to the center of demand from artificial intelligence systems and next-generation automotive electronics. (finance.yahoo.com)