TSMC Begins Production at Kumamoto Plant for 12-28nm Chips

On December 27, Kimura Takashi, Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, announced that TSMC has officially commenced mass production at its first factory in Kumamoto's Kikuyo Town. This facility will focus on producing some of Japan's most advanced logic semiconductors, with process nodes ranging from 12nm to 28nm. The semiconductors will be supplied to prominent clients, including the Sony Group.

Governor Kimura shared the update during a routine press conference, confirming the production milestone. TSMC also verified the news, stating, "Mass production began as scheduled in December." The Kumamoto Prefecture government highlighted that TSMC's Japanese subsidiary, TSMC Japan, informed the local authorities on December 23 that production had officially started.

This Kumamoto factory is part of Japan's strategic initiative to strengthen its domestic semiconductor supply chain. In 2021, TSMC and Sony Semiconductor announced plans to build a semiconductor wafer fabrication plant in the region. Construction of the first plant began in April 2022, with completion in December 2023. The factory opened in February 2024 and will focus primarily on image sensors and automotive semiconductors, among other advanced technologies.

Governor Kimura mentioned that TSMC Japan (JASM) had previously been asked to inform the local government when mass production commenced so that monitoring of wastewater emissions could begin. "It seems production has started smoothly, but I am not aware of the exact start date," he stated. Starting in January 2024, Kumamoto Prefecture will begin monitoring wastewater emissions from the plant, with plans to release the results by mid-January.

The first Kumamoto factory represents a significant investment of approximately 1.3 trillion yen, with the Japanese government committing up to 476 billion yen in subsidies.