- Japanese company to build new plant and expand facilities on the island
According to Nikkei Asia article published on May 16, 2023, Fujifilm Holdings plans to invest 15 billion yen ($110 million) to increase production of a chip-polishing material in Taiwan, the company said Tuesday, responding to rising semiconductor demand from self-driving vehicles and 5G communication technologies.
The Japanese company will build a new plant and expand existing facilities owned by subsidiary Fujifilm Electronic Materials Taiwan to increase its production capacity of CMP slurry, a material used to polish and planarize the surface of chips, by 50%.
The new plant set for Hsinchu in northern Taiwan is slated to begin operations in 2026, while a facility in Tainan in the island's south will boost production capacity.
The company also plans to begin production of CMP slurry at a plant in southern Japan's Kumamoto prefecture next year.
Fujifilm intends to invest 90 billion yen over the two years through March 2024 to expand factories in the U.S. and Taiwan, doubling the company's capital investments over the prior two years. It targets sales of 500 billion yen in the semiconductor materials business in fiscal 2030.
