TSMC to start building four new plants with 1.4nm technology

NEXT GENERATION:
The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said

• By Huang Hsu-lei,
  Hung You-fang
  and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said.

Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary.

The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said.

TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the plot last month, he added.

Hsu said he is optimistic that the park’s annual turnover would surpass NT$1.2 trillion (US$40.81 billion), setting a new historic high.

At the North America Technology Symposium in California on April 25, TSMC revealed plans to launch its A14 fabrication processes in 2028.

The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would feature four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing facilities, according to TSMC’s roadmap.

The first plant is expected to complete a risk assesment of wafer production by 2027 and begin mass production by late 2028, with a target monthly output of 50,000 wafers, according to the company’s roadmap.

At the TSMC second-quarter earnings conference and conference call on Thursday, TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said that after the completion of the company’s US$165 billion investment in the US, “about 30 percent of our 2-nanometer and more advanced capacity will be located in Arizona, creating an independent leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing cluster in the US.”

The Arizona investment includes six advanced wafer manufacturing fabs, two advanced packaging fabs and a major research and development center.

Wei also said that TSMC is planning “to build 11 wafer manufacturing fabs and four advanced packaging facilities over the next several years.”

The company is “preparing for multiple phases of 2-nanometer fabs at the Hsinchu and Kaohsiung science parks to support the strong structural demand from our customers,” Wei said.