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Taiwan Semiconductor may expand to Japan as tensions with China grow

TSMC is reportedly investigating expansion in Japan as Taiwan independence remains in contention due to pressure from China.

TJ Denzer

October 19, 2022 8:40 AM

Image via TSMC

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) may be considered to be one of the most important companies in the world when it comes to the tech industry right now. It also finds itself somewhat threatened due to Taiwan’s current political tensions with China. With this in mind, TSMC is said to be looking into expansion in Japan in order to lessen risks to the company.

TSMC’s supposed investigation into Japan expansion was reported this week by the Wall Street Journal. According to said reports, sources familiar with situation claimed that Taiwan Semiconductor has not made an official decision on expansion yet. However, it is already building a factory in Japan and the Japanese government has reportedly signaled that it would welcome further TSMC projects and presence in the country. The factory currently being built is set to prioritize less high-tech chips such as those in automobiles. However, it could also be adjusted to take on more complicated chip manufacturing.

As China puts pressure on Taiwan’s independence, other tech firms have also moved some business out of the area. iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, which recently reported it wants to manufacture Tesla EVs, has also moved some of its industry to India factories.

TSMC has expressed concerns before about the state of affairs between China and Taiwan. The company stated that if China were to invade Taiwan and seize TMSC factories, the facilities would be rendered pretty much useless since it is a sophisticated manufacturing process that TMSC staff are specially trained to handle. The company has also moved to build a factory in the United States with the help of funding from the CHIPs Act of 2022.

As tensions continue to stiffen with China and Taiwan, it’s looking increasingly likely that TSMC may move even more of its business to lessen the impact on its business. Stay tuned as we continue to follow for further updates.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.