TSMC to Set up 18" Wafer Fabrication Plant in Taichung Science Park

With Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) to expand the Taichung Science Park, central Taiwan, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC), the world's largest semiconductor foundry by market shares, is expected to locate its 18-inch wafer fabrication plant in the park when the expansion is completed, according to CEPD officials.

To further cluster local optoelectronic and semiconductor makers in Taichung Science Park, CEPD has recently approved a NT$6.729 billion project to acquire 53 hectares of land lots for expanding the park, which will help upgrade the industries in the park to create more jobs and drive up production value.

CEPD officials indicated that the expansion will help to create 7,000 jobs when fully completed, and then the expanded park is estimated to achieve output value of over NT$200 billion in 2019.

Yang Wen-ke, director-general of Central Taiwan Science Park Administration, noted that the park expansion is mainly designed to motivate TSMC to set up its brand new 18-inch wafer fabrication plant there. Given the fact that TSMC is one of only a few foundries capable of making 18-inch wafers with advanced processes in the world, Yang said cheerfully that construction of the plant will mark a new milestone in the development history of Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Presently, TSMC's Fab15 located in Taichung Science Park has been partly completed, which uses the 28 nanometer technology to turn out chips. The planned 18-inch wafer plant is scheduled to be constructed as part of the Fab15 starting in the first quarter of 2014. At a shareholders' conference held earlier, TSMC confirmed that the Fab15 will begin mass production of 18-inch wafers in 2015 at the earliest to further consolidate its global leading status.

source & copyright: CENS