TSMC considers chip plant in Japan
BLOOMBERG
TOKYO
Taiwan Semiconductor Manu-facturing Co (TSMC, ¥x¿n¹q), the biggest maker of chips to other companies' specifications, may build or buy a plant in Japan to be closer to its customers, a company executive said.
"We are studying the pros and cons," Senior Vice President Chiang Shang-Yi (½±©|¸q) said in an interview. TSMC may build its own plant, purchase facilities from another chipmaker or form a joint venture, Chiang said.
A plant in Japan would help TSMC respond quicker to last- minute requests from customers such as NEC Corp and Toshiba Corp.
To reduce costs, Japanese chipmakers have been hiring companies like TSMC to make chips according to their designs instead of making the chips themselves. A new chip plant can typically costs more than US$1 billion.
TSMC's move would mirror that of rival United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, Áp¹q). UMC has two production subsidiaries in Japan and is building a chip plant in Singapore, lured by lower taxes and a more stable political environment.
"TSMC must want to have a plant in Japan because Japanese customers feel safe if factories are near," said Akira Minamikawa, a WestLB Securities Pacific Ltd analyst.
TSMC is not negotiating with any potential Japanese partners, nor does it plan to invest in Japan immediately, said TSMC Chairman Morris Chang (±i©¾¿Ñ).
"We have no plans to invest in Japan at present," Chang said in an interview. He was attending an event in Hong Kong where he delivered a keynote speech.
Japan, which accounts for 12 percent of TSMC's revenue, is an important market because its chipmakers produce a greater proportion of chips for digital cameras and mobile phones than for PCs, Chiang said. |
