CIOInsider India Magazine
TSMC's Advanced Chip Production Facility Hit with Gases Contamination
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a chip supplier companion of Apple Inc., suffers from gases contamination in some of its production lines including its most advanced chip making facility Fab 18, located in Southern Taiwan.
The chipmaker did not see this coming, let alone having to witness a major part of its operations being hit with the contamination.
All the areas that are affected by the contamination, are all areas that carry major operations like producing latest processors for upcoming iPhone and Mac computers.
To expand its footprint, the chipmaker has set its sights on establishing its first chip making facility in Japan and it plans on commencing operations for the same in 2023.
The supposed location of this upcoming location is Kumamoto Prefecture housed on Kyushu's Southern Island, where TSMC's 28 nanometer process would be used to make roughly 40,000 chips per month.
"TSMC is presently doing thorough follow-up operations to assure that there will be no difficulties with production quality”, the company assured.
The Kumamoto factory, on the other hand, would primarily make Sony image sensors, which are used in gadgets such as digital cameras.
Chips for image processors and microcontroller units used in autos and numerous consumer gadgets are among the applications for TSMC's 28nm technology.
This quarter, the board of directors of TSMC is likely to make a final decision on the project. If permitted, the plant would be built in two stages and may be operational as early as 2023.
TSMC's final decision on the project could still be influenced by factors including the availability of government incentives and promises from Japanese suppliers to create chip-related infrastructure required for supply chain development.
Back to Southern Taiwan, the company is currently undergoing thorough checks to pass the production quality mark.
"TSMC is presently doing thorough follow-up operations to assure that there will be no difficulties with production quality”, the company assured.
Nonetheless the chipmaker is globally renowned as the world’s largest smartphone chipset vendor.
It faces competition from Samsung, which now plans to catch up with the chipmaker by introducing 8nm chip process technology, a mass-produced third generation 5nm devices and enhancing its 3nm node process technology in the foundry business.
