According to the “Digital Times” report, several supply chain sources said that UMC is considering further expanding its semiconductor manufacturing business in Japan. This move comes at a time when the Japanese government is urging companies to expand their semiconductor production in Japan. occasion.
Supply chain sources said UMC is evaluating plans to build a new 12-inch wafer fab in Mie Prefecture in central Japan. UMC is the world’s third-largest foundry and a major supplier to Denso and other Japanese chipmakers.
▲ UMC triple factory, picture source: UMC official website
The factory will be UMC’s second chip manufacturing plant in Japan, UMC’s first factory in Japan is Fujitsu Semiconductor’s Mie factory. The new 12-inch fab in Japan means a major shift in UMC’s strategy for building a fab. For decades, UMC has maintained most of its production in the area where its headquarters is located, and UMC’s move has allowed nearly half of its 12-inch wafers to be produced in Japan.
It is learned that UMC controls more than 20% of the global chip foundry service market, and its customers include Samsung, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. In addition, UMC also provides foundry services for important automotive chip manufacturers such as Denso, NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics and Infineon.
