TSMC to start construction of European plant this year
TSMC is reportedly planning to start construction of its first European manufacturing facility during the fourth quarter of 2024.
The company’s European head, Paul de Bot, said during a conference in the Netherlands that European Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (ESMC) was on track to start construction this year in Dresden, Germany – and begin production in 2027.
TSMC first announced ESMC last August as a future 300mm joint venture fab with Bosch, Infineon, and NXP each holding a 10% stake.
The planned fab will have a monthly production capacity of 40,000 300mm (12-inch) wafers using TSMC’s 28/22 nanometer planar CMOS and 16/12 nanometer FinFET process technology. The fab is also expected to create about 2,000 jobs.
Kevin Zhang, who serves as Senior Vice President of Business Development at TSMC, told reporters he believes that the fab will receive approval for a subsidy under the European Chips Act, even though this hasn't occurred yet, according to Reuters.
Additionally, he stated that the Dresden fab would produce chips at the 22-nanometre production node and that ESMC will allow the company to “basically bring the most advanced MCU technology to the heartland of automotive use.”
Though it would take several years, he did not rule out plans for TSMC to increase its investments in Europe to include fabs that could produce more advanced chips.
