Sony To Invest $500 Million in TSMC's New Japanese Chip Plant Venture

Sony Group said on Tuesday it would invest about $500 million in a joint venture with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co that will build a $7 billion chip plant in Japan. From a report: Construction of the factory, which local media said last month would supply semiconductors to Sony's image sensor business, will begin in 2022, with production slated to begin at the end of 2024, the companies said in a press release. The decision marks a success for Japanese industry ministry officials, who want world No.1 contract chipmaker TSMC to build plants to supply chips to Japan's electronic device makers and auto companies as trade frictions between the United States and China threaten to disrupt supply chains and demand for the key component grows.

"The fab (plant) is expected to directly create about 1,500 high-tech professional jobs and to have a monthly production capacity of 45,000 12-inch wafers," Sony and TSMC said. The plant will produce 22-nanometer and 28-nanometer chips to address strong global demand for speciality chip technologies, they said.

Re:

[bobstreo]

What are they doing to ramp up PS5 production? Those things are hard to get.

Looks like they're paying $500 Million maybe to ensure delivery?

So you'd prefer a phone shortage?

[Somervillain]

What are they doing to ramp up PS5 production? Those things are hard to get.

You know they make sensors for iPhones and many other major manufacturers. So how will your life be easier if there's a phone shortage?

Re:

[UnknowingFool]

From the article: "The plant will produce 22-nanometer and 28-nanometer chips to address strong global demand for specialty chip technologies, they said." The PS5 uses AMD chips on a 7nm node so it is highly unlikely that the plant can make them. There are plans to move the AMD chips to a 6nm node which would help production.

A whole $500M?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, that'll get you a corner in the employee lunch room and maybe a branded restroom.... Or a few stickers on the EUV photolithography equipment.

Re:

[UnknowingFool]

My best guess is that they following other companies like Apple. One of the things Apple does with their suppliers is to loan/invest in capital projects with their partners. These projects are expensive, and some suppliers do not have enough cash to invest in expansion plans. Apple either loans or invests a stake in exchange for priority and sometimes exclusivity.

TSMC

[NFN_NLN]

The independent nation of Taiwan is under threat from an unnamed communist government. TSMC has been scrambling to diversify chip manufacturing off the island in case they need destroy those plants.

Same is happening in the US: https://finance.yahoo.com/news... [yahoo.com]

(burn those mod points commies, haha)

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

If you live in Taiwan start planning on how you're going to gtfo. Your "allies" are bought and paid for by unnamed commies and they're going to knuckle under when the time comes.

Duplicate from a few weeks ago?

[OneOfMany07]

I swear I saw this on here already. It's going in next to their existing image sensor plant.