New TSMC project likely in Central Taiwan

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has zeroed in a location in central Taiwan to set up its new thin-film PV modules facility. The company is likely to establish the unit on 18 ha of land in Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP).

The PV modules development base will be spruced up with more engineers being hired under its New Business Division. This would make the total PV facility staff to around 100 by the end of the current year.

It is a known fact that TSMC had, a few years ago, evinced interest in the destination and had filed an application with the CTSP administration for renting the land to set up a 12-inch fab on an investment of around US$73 billion.

However, this February it shelved those plans and then again filed another application aimed at setting up the PV project. With this almost certain, TSMC is most likely to capitalize on its expertise in semiconductor manufacturing and establish production lines of thin-film PV modules for product differentiation, said industry observers.