VIS and NXP Start 12-Inch Wafer Fab in Singapore

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS) and NXP Semiconductors have officially broken ground on a new 12-inch wafer fabrication facility in Singapore. This joint venture, announced earlier this year, is set to begin production in 2027, with an expected capacity of 55,000 wafers per month by 2029.

The venture, named VSMC (Vanguard Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation), was established by VIS and NXP in September 2024. The facility will be located in the Tampines region of Singapore and is expected to create approximately 1,500 new jobs, stimulating growth across the semiconductor supply chain.

In November 2024, the VSMC board, led by VIS Chairman Fang Lue, approved a substantial capital investment for the new plant. The initial phase will involve an investment of NT$1.18 billion for 8-inch equipment and related infrastructure. The 12-inch wafer fab in Singapore is projected to receive NT$24.12 billion in equipment and plant infrastructure investments, bringing the total capital expenditure to NT$25.3 billion.

Kurt Sievers, President and CEO of NXP Semiconductors, emphasized that NXP has decades of successful semiconductor manufacturing operations in Singapore. The new VSMC wafer fab aligns perfectly with NXP's differentiated, mixed-manufacturing strategy, providing a cost-competitive, supply-chain resilient, and geographically strategic manufacturing base for NXP's growth plans.

Chairman Fang Lue also shared that VIS has been actively transforming its strategy in recent years, including ramping up production of gallium nitride (GaN) and signing partnerships for silicon carbide (SiC) technologies. The company is confident in the long-term success of the Singapore 12-inch fab, expecting its annual revenue to double from NT$50 billion to NT$100 billion within five years of full-scale production.