Toyota Motor : Chipmaking Giant Opens First Plant in Japan―Firm Handshakes Seal a Historic Moment

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the world's largest contract manufacturer of semiconductors. On February 24, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda attended the opening ceremony for the chipmaker's plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Earlier in the month, the construction of a second plant was announced, with Toyota joining Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Denso, and TSMC to provide additional investment in Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), a TSMC subsidiary.

Regarded as a "staple of industry," semiconductors are indispensable in our daily lives. A single car is said to use one thousand chips.

Vehicle production dropped sharply during the pandemic, followed by a rebound in production as demand recovered. This caused a global supply crunch for semiconductors, and extra-long car delivery times became a society-wide issue.

With advances in CASE* technologies and cars becoming increasingly intelligent, the importance of semiconductors continues to rise. Ahead of the opening ceremony, Akio spoke with TSMC CEO C.C. Wei, sealing their commitment with firm handshakes.

^{*Connected, Autonomous/Automated, Shared, and Electric}

On this milestone day for TSMC in Japan, Toyota Times News was there to capture the story.