TSMC to build CoWoS plants in Taiwan, and maybe Japan
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has announced plans to construct two new chip-on-wafer-on-substrate plants in Chiayi. But there's also speculation it will expand its capacity in Japan too.
The proposed Taiwanese advanced packaging factories will be based in the Chiayi Science Park in Taibao City, with construction to be complete by 2026.
CoWoS is an increasingly important tech for TSMC. The 2.5D wafer-level multi-chip packaging process incorporates multiple dies side-by-side on a silicon interposer in order to achieve better interconnect density and performance. The emergence for generative AI technology has boosted demand for TSMC's CoWoS chip packages to such an extent that it now accounts for 7% of total revenues.
In January the firm said it wanted to double CoWos output this year. Currently, all of TSMC's CoWoS capacity is in Taiwan. However, Reuters has reported that TSMC now wants to create CoWoS facilities in Japan too.
Such a move would extend TSMC's growing operations in Japan where it has just launched the first of two chip fabs in Kumamoto. This site is anticipated to produce over 100,000 12-inch wafers monthly using various process technologies ranging from 40 to 6/7 nanometers.
TSMC is reportedly delighted with its Japanese experience. The facilities were delivered on time and on budget and with generous subsidies from the Japanese government. Japan also has a abundance of local companies that are critical to TSMC's supply chain.
