Investing.com — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said on Tuesday it had begun gradually restoring operations at its chip manufacturing facility in Japan after a powerful earthquake prompted a temporary evacuation of employees.
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A 7.1-magnitude earthquake killed at least 13 people near the southern Japanese city of Kumamoto, knocking out power to thousands of homes and ruptured roads across the region
The company said all personnel at its Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) plant in Kumamoto Prefecture were safely evacuated following the earthquake, with post-quake inspections confirming the facility’s structures remained safe.
TSMC said production was being resumed in stages while engineers continue detailed inspections and assess any potential impact on equipment and operations.
The company also said construction work at the JASM expansion site was not damaged by the earthquake. However, parts of the project were temporarily suspended as a precaution because of the risk of aftershocks.
The Kumamoto facility, which began production earlier this year, is a key part of TSMC’s strategy to expand manufacturing outside Taiwan and strengthen Japan’s domestic semiconductor supply chain.
The project has received significant financial backing from the Japanese government as Tokyo seeks to bolster chip production amid growing geopolitical and supply chain risks.
