The step fits the industry trend: Chip companies want to position themselves more broadly all over the world. Plants for chip production are also planned in Germany.
According to a newspaper report, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of chips, TSMC, wants to build a second plant in Kumamoto, Japan. The total investments are expected to be more than one trillion yen (almost 7 billion euros), reports the Japanese “Nikkan Kogyo” without citing sources. The first plant is scheduled to start at the end of 2024, which is now planned for the end of the decade. According to the report, TSMC is negotiating government subsidies and customer investments.
The move would fit the industry trend. Chip companies are expanding worldwide, also because the governments of many countries are pushing for a reduction in dependence on China and high subsidies are waving. At the same time, continued strong growth in demand is expected due to digitization and electromobility.
As recently as December, the Bloomberg news agency, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that TSMC was planning a new plant in the US to produce 4-nanometer chips. The group is also examining the construction of a factory in Dresden, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” reported in January. The US chip manufacturer Intel also wants to build a plant in Magdeburg.
The chip manufacturer Infineon is also planning a new plant in Dresden, which at around five billion euros represents the largest single investment by the Dax group.
Source: Stern
