Fire at Taiwan's TSMC Amid Semiconductor Shortage... "Full Operation Will Take Time"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Amid the ongoing global semiconductor shortage, a fire broke out at Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor foundry.

According to Taiwan media including Liberty Times on the 1st, a fire was confirmed at TSMC's Fab 12 in the Hsinchu Science Park in northern Taiwan at around 9:50 a.m. local time the previous day. The cause of the fire has not been disclosed.

The site of the fire is identified as TSMC's research and development and pilot production facility.

TSMC stated, "The fire alarm was triggered due to a malfunction in a component of the substation inside the factory," adding, "Electricity supply has been restored normally since the evening of the incident day, and production is not affected."

However, industry experts predict that it may take some time before Fab 12 is fully operational again.

In particular, the impact on advanced manufacturing process R&D, such as the 3-nanometer (nm) process, remains to be seen.

Taiwan media, citing the Hsinchu Science Park Administration, reported that TSMC's Fab 12 houses an R&D center, where advanced manufacturing processes are primarily pilot-produced before mass production is carried out at the central Taichung and southern Tainan Science Parks.

The Taiwan Commercial Times reported that TSMC plans to complete certification and pilot production of the 3-nanometer process in the second half of this year and start mass production in 2022, while the 4-nanometer process is expected to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of this year, one year ahead of schedule.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.