TSMC to begin building $49b chip hub in Taiwan

TSMC will begin building its 1.4-nanometer chip production line in Taiwan’s Central Science Park on November 5.

The company plans to set up four new fabs, investing US$49 billion in the project, with the first fab expected to begin mass production in the second half of 2028.

The development is expected to create between 8,000 and 10,000 jobs.

The bidding process for the foundation work has been completed, and once finished, the site could become the world’s largest production hub for AI and high-performance computing chips.

🔗 Source: TechNode

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

TSMC’s 1.4nm timeline uses Low-NA EUV while High-NA review continues

TSMC aims to start 1.4nm mass production in 2028 using advanced lithography. The company is still assessing ASML, the Netherlands-based lithography maker, and its High Numerical Aperture extreme ultraviolet systems. Intel plans to use High-NA at its 14A node, which is a 1.4nm-class process. TSMC SVP Kevin Zhang said A14 will skip High-NA and stay on 0.33 numerical aperture EUV (Low-NA), so this generation will not hinge on High-NA tools.
That plan shifts risk to integration of Low-NA EUV with multi-patterning (using multiple exposure steps to draw finer features), along with throughput and yields. High-NA tool timing matters less for A14 under the current path. TSMC could still pivot after ongoing evaluations.

Four new fabs push grid work at Central Science Park in central Taiwan

TSMC plans four fabs at Central Science Park, which will need large new power links. Taipower (Taiwan Power Company, the state-owned grid operator) will invest NT$564.5 billion over 10 years to harden the grid. The work includes direct supply routes from plants to science parks, plus STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) units at 11 substations to stabilize voltage.
Independent power producers (private generators), energy storage developers, and grid engineering firms should track Taipower substation tenders around Central Science Park. EPC stands for engineering, procurement, and construction. Those contractors have near-term opportunities. Taipower awarded a NT$2.35 billion substation upgrade in Hualien, which signals active buying ahead of higher industrial load.