The global chip shortage is bringing about the most unusual team-ups in the tech industry. As such, tech giants Sony and TSMC are now “considering” the joint creation of a semiconductor factory in Japan, as per Nikkei Asia’s sources.
According to these sources, the two companies will create a manufacturing plant in the western Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. TSMC will have most of the control over this factory, but it will be situated in Sony’s lands near that company’s image sensor factory. The Japanese government is going to cover up to half of the total $7 billion investment required for this plant.
This factory will produce chips for cameras, cars, and other products. Car parts giant Denso is reportedly interested in the project for that reason.
If everything goes according to plan, the factory is supposed to be up and running by 2024. Sony and TSMC have declined to comment on this development but TSMC had previously said that they are “actively reviewing” plans for a project like this.
This joint project comes as no surprise as the global chip shortage is still going strong and is expected to last until 2023. And this is only assuming that the demand does not grow quicker than predicted.
This will not only help TSMC and Sony in the long run, but the worldwide chipset market as a whole if this project is successful.
