Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is planning to begin installing equipment and mass-producing 3-nanometre wafers at its second fabrication plant in Japan in 2028, according to a Taiwanese government filing cited by Reuters.
The company aims to produce 15,000 12-inch wafers per month at the site using advanced 3nm process technology.
The update follows earlier comments by CC Wei, President and CEO of TSMC, who said in February that the company would manufacture 3nm chips at the second plant during a meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The revised plan marks a shift from TSMC’s earlier Japan strategy, which focused on mature semiconductor nodes.
The first Japan fab began volume production in late 2024. TSMC established its Japan unit, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, in 2021 with support from Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation. DENSO Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation also later joined the venture as minority investors.
In 2024, the company said total investment in its first and second Japan fabs would exceed $20 billion. These facilities were set to produce one lakh 12-inch wafers per month using 40nm, 22/28nm, 12/16nm and 6/7nm technologies.
Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun reported in February that investment in the second plant could reach $17 billion.
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