Japan is reportedly planning to call out to Taiwan-based based chip manufacturing company TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co) or perhaps even other chipmakers across the globe. The purported invitation aims to ultimately construct a highly advanced chip developing plant with the aforementioned company/companies in tandem with the domestic chip equipment suppliers, as reported by Japanese daily, the Yomiuri.

As per sources familiar with the knowledge of the matter, the Japanese government basically hopes to leverage the expertise of global chip manufacturing firms so as to provide a new lease of life to the lagging chip producing industry in Japan. This seems to be even more crucial in the current scenario where advanced chip technologies have come to be the sole point of significance in national security issues.

A reliable report affirms that the government has plans up its sleeve to offer close to several hundred billion yen (equivalent to around several billion dollars), spanning multiple years, to chipmakers abroad, who will be a part of the project.

So far, no timeline has been mentioned for this billion-dollar worth project.

A spokesperson from the Taiwanese chip making firm has been quoted to say that there is no such plan at this point of time, to collaborate with the Japanese government on building a joint chip plant. However, the spokesperson also said that the company does not rule out the possibility of such an occurrence in the future.

The Japanese industry ministry apparently did not answer calls.

For the uninitiated, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, back in May, had brought forth certain plans for a chip plant worth USD 12 billion, in the United States, in a proposed win for the efforts of the Trump administration’s so as to battle global technology supply chains from China.

Source Credits: https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3093844/japan-aims-invite-tsmc-build-joint-chip-plant-report-says-taiwan-chip