Japanese companies will jointly develop chip manufacturing technology with TSMC

In the morning news on June 1, Beijing time, according to Reuters, citing a report from Nihon Keizai Shimbun, about 20 Japanese companies including Electronic component manufacturer Ibiden Co., Ltd. (IBIDEN) will cooperate with Taiwan semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., referred to as TSMC) cooperated to develop chip manufacturing technology in Japan.

The Nikkei reported that the Japanese government will pay 37 billion yen ($337 million) for half of the cost of research facilities, but did not disclose the source.

TSMC said in February this year that it would spend approximately US$178 million to open a materials research subsidiary near Tokyo.

TSMC said in a statement to Reuters that the company “aims to use more expertise in the material field to bring value.”

“We are grateful to the Japanese government for its support to promote semiconductor technology advancement with TSMC’s partners in Japan,” the company added, but did not elaborate.

　With the expansion of 5G infrastructure, autonomous driving technology, data centers, and artificial intelligence (AI), demand for chips continues to grow. Japan hopes to cooperate with the Taiwanese company to help its semiconductor manufacturers remain competitive.

Japan’s Ibiden Co., Ltd. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.