Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a leading contract chipmaker, plans to open its factory near Kumamoto, Japan, on February 24th, 2024. This facility is located in the small town of Kikuyo. This is part of TSMC’s expansion strategy, which also includes factories in Arizona and Germany. 

According to Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, production at this plant-based in Kyushu is expected to begin by the end of 2024. The infrastructure construction commenced in April 2022, with office operations starting in August and chip production equipment being installed in October. Currently, the facility has a workforce of 1,400 employees, including 400 from Taiwan. Additionally, plans are underway to hire 250 graduates in spring 2024, bringing the workforce to 1,700, according to a report by CNA.

The management of this foundry will be handled by Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), a venture between TSMC and Sony. It has been reported that TSMC has invested over NT $270 billion (US $8.79 billion) into this project.