TSMC’s second wafer fab in Kumamoto, Japan will start construction, and the Governor of Kumamoto announced the signing of a site selection agreement on 10/24

According to a report from Kumamoto Nippon Shimbun, a local media in Kumamoto, Japan, TSMC, the leading wafer foundry, has made significant progress in the construction of its second wafer fab in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Kei Kimura recently officially announced that a location agreement (Location agreement) will be officially concluded on October 24 for the construction of the main project of TSMC’s Kumamoto second wafer fab.

According to reports from the Kumamoto Nikichi Shimbun, the units participating in the signing of the agreement include Kikuyo Town, where the factory is located, and JASM, TSMC’s Japanese subsidiary. As for the Kumamoto Prefectural Government, it will also participate and attend the signing ceremony of the agreement as a witness. The conclusion of this site selection agreement means that the construction of TSMC’s second wafer fab in Kumamoto will officially begin.針對第二晶圓廠建設即將啟動的消息，熊本縣知事木村敬表達了高度的肯定與喜悅。

Governor Kimura said at the press conference that he was very pleased that the construction of the second factory had begun. The governor further revealed that there had been "a sense of uncertainty" before, which will gradually dissipate with the confirmation of the agreement.

In fact, the Kumamoto Second Fab Factory was originally planned to start construction in March 2025, but the start of construction was postponed to the end of 2025. TSMC Chairman Wei Zhejia previously stated that the reason for the delay in construction was traffic congestion and other issues. Previously, foreign media had reported that the start of construction may be further delayed. However, TSMC stated that there is no change to the plan to start construction in 2025.

In order to alleviate the increasingly serious traffic congestion problem around the first wafer fab that TSMC was previously concerned about, which led to the delay in the start of the second wafer fab, the Kumamoto Prefectural Government recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for two key infrastructure projects at the local Prefectural Technical Junior College in Haransui, Kikuyo Town. These two projects, with Kumamoto Prefecture as the main body, aim to improve local traffic conditions and enhance regional connectivity, and are targeted to be completed in 2028.