Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it has dropped a plan to build a new fab to produce next-generation chips in the Longtan (龍潭) section of Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) amid local protests over government appropriation of privately owned land for industrial use.
TSMC issued a statement after a self-help group representing some residents of Longtan in Taoyuan, said on Facebook that the world’s biggest contract chipmaker had dropped its new fab construction plan in Longtan after negotiations broke down on Friday.
TSMC had planned to build a factory in Longtan to produce 1.4-nanometer chips, which would be its most advanced chips. Its 2-nanometer chips are scheduled to be available in 2025 and its 3-nanometer chips are already being used in Apple Inc’s latest iPhone 15 series.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
“After evaluation, TSMC is no longer considering establishing a site at phase 3 of the Longtan section under present conditions,” the chipmaker said in a statement.
“TSMC will continue working with the Science Park Administration to evaluate land in Taiwan suitable for building semiconductor fabs,” it said.
It said that it is a tenant leasing land from the science park, while the government is responsible for science park planning.
“TSMC respects the local community and regulatory authorities, and we do not have further comment on land appropriation,” the chipmaker said.
The phase 3 expansion project in the Longtan section of the park would cover 158.59 hectares, about 90 percent of which is privately owned.
Since the expansion project was unveiled in December last year, it has sparked discontent among local residents.
The self-help group has protested the government’s plan to appropriate land.
The group yesterday asked the Hsinchu Science Park Administration to scrap the land appropriation plan entirely, as TSMC would no longer be building its fab in Longtan.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said that it would help TSMC to find a new location for the fab, as the chipmaker has made it clear that a majority of its capacity would be based in Taiwan and its most advanced chips would be built here, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said.
TSMC told investors early this year that it expected overseas capacity to make up about 20 percent of its total capacity for 28-nanometer and less advanced chips in five years’ time.
The chipmaker is building two advanced factories in Arizona to make 4-nanometer and 3-nanometer chips, while its factories in Japan and Germany are to produce 28-nanometer and 16-nanometer chips to satisfy local demand for automotive chips.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
NEGOTIATIONS: Taiwan has good relations with Washington and the outlook for the negotiations looks promising, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo said Taiwan’s GDP growth this year is expected to decrease by 0.43 to 1.61 percentage points due to the effects of US tariffs, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei yesterday, citing a preliminary estimate by a private research institution. Taiwan’s economy would be significantly affected by the 32 percent “reciprocal” tariffs slapped by the US, which took effect yesterday, Liu said, adding that GDP growth could fall below 3 percent and potentially even dip below 2 percent to 1.53 percent this year. The council has commissioned another institution
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
NEGOTIATIONS: The US response to the countermeasures and plans Taiwan presented has been positive, including boosting procurement and investment, the president said Taiwan is included in the first group for trade negotiations with the US, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he seeks to shield Taiwanese exporters from a 32 percent tariff. In Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview on Fox News on Thursday that he would speak to his Taiwanese and Israeli counterparts yesterday about tariffs after holding a long discussion with the Vietnamese earlier. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday postponed punishing levies on multiple trade partners, including Taiwan, for three months after trillions of US dollars were wiped off global markets. He has maintained a 10 percent
RSS