TSMC Targets 3nm Chip Production in Japan with 2028 Rollout Plan
Photo Credit: TSMC
TSMC has confirmed plans to start producing 3-nanometre chips at its second Japanese factory by 2028. The company filed details with the Taiwanese government outlining its roadmap: advanced equipment installation comes first, mass production follows.
Once fully operational, the facility is expected to produce around 15,000 twelve-inch wafers every month using 3nm process technology. That’s a serious step up from the older, more mature nodes that dominated earlier discussions about TSMC’s Japan ambitions.
CEO C. C. Wei made the company’s commitment clear in a high-level meeting earlier this year that Japan isn’t a side project, it’s a core part of TSMC’s global strategy going forward.
The numbers back that up. TSMC’s combined investment across its two Japanese fabs is expected to cross $20 billion. The first facility already started production in 2024, so the groundwork is laid. The second plant pushes Japan into genuinely advanced chip manufacturing territory and not just assembly or mature-node work, but cutting-edge stuff that powers the chips in your phone, car, and AI hardware.
What makes this project particularly interesting is who’s standing behind it. Sony Semiconductor Solutions, DENSO, and Toyota are all partners in the effort. That mix, a consumer electronics giant, an automotive components leader, and the world’s largest automaker, signals exactly where the demand is headed: next-generation vehicles, robotics, and AI-driven hardware that needs smaller, faster, more efficient chips.
For Japan, this is a meaningful moment. The country has been working hard to rebuild its semiconductor relevance, and having TSMC plant deep roots here with real advanced-node production validates that push in a big way.
Source: The Economic Times
