TSMC begins construction on $9B 300-mm fab

TSMC has broken ground on a new 300-mm fab in Taichung's Central Taiwan Science Park that will have capacity of more than 100,000 12-inch wafers per month and will add 8,000 jobs to the company.

By Suzanne Deffree, Managing editor, news -- EDN, July 16, 2010

TSMC has broken ground on a new 300-mm fab in Taichung's Central Taiwan Science Park that will have capacity of more than 100,000 12-inch wafers per month and come at a more than $9.34 billion (NT $300 billion) investment.

Fab 15 will be TSMC's third fab at that level of capacity, which the company terms a "gigafab." Fab 15 will be TSMC's second gigafab equipped for 28-nm technology and will have 104,000-sq meters in clean room space.

TSMC noted that construction on Fab 15 will be divided into four phases. The company said it is scheduled to begin equipment move-in for the Phase 1 facility in June 2011, with volume production of 40-nm and 28-nm technology products for customers in Q1 2012. More advanced process nodes will be introduced as TSMC's technology development continues to advance, the company said.

"This groundbreaking for Fab 15 in the Central Taiwan Science Park shows our commitment to providing our customers with advanced technology and satisfying their capacity needs," TSMC Chairman and CEO Morris Chang said in a statement. "And as capacity in Fab 15 grows, it will create 8,000 high-quality job opportunities, demonstrating TSMC's dedication to corporate social responsibility."

TSMC also noted that it will continue to expand capacity at Fab 12 in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and Fab 14 in Tainan, Taiwan. Combined capacity of Fab 12 and Fab 14 currently exceeds 200,000 12-inch wafers per month, and is scheduled to exceed 240,000 12-inch wafers per month by the end of this year, TSMC said.

TSMC also noted that Fab 15 will a "green" fab, incorporating environmental efficiency concepts including a process water conservation rate of 85%, reclamation of rainwater, recirculation and reuse of general exhaust heat, and development of solar-power generation and LED lighting applications. TSMC's goal is to reach zero emissions of greenhouse gases.   

Texas Instruments also announced fab plans this week, buying two fabs from Spansion Japan that are expected to support more than $1 billion in annual revenue.