TSMC allots $5B for R&D, capacity boost

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to invest $5 billion to boost the capacity of its northern Taiwan facility.

This is according to an Agence France-Presse report, which stated that the foundry will also build the fourth and fifth phases of a factory in a new area in Hsinchu industrial park.

Company spokesman JH Tzeng disclosed that the investment will be focused on R&D. The phases four and five will provide manufacturing services and create about 3,000 jobs, Tzeng added.

Hsinchu industrial park officials said that TSMC, Powerchip Semiconductor Corp. and Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp. had broken ground Mar. 11 on the construction of five plants.

An official revealed that total investments of the three companies are estimated at $14.7 billion, with annual output seen at $9.8 billion.