[News] After Taiwan’s Strong Earthquake, Latest Recovery Progress of Major Foundries

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Taiwan experienced a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on the 3rd, prompting round-the-clock repair efforts during the holiday by semiconductor fabs, aiming to restore equipment operations. According to reports from TechNews, the latest progress of various fabs and science parks across different locations is as follows.

TSMC

TSMC stated that the maximum intensity of the earthquake on the 3rd in science parks such as Hsinchu, Longtan, and Zhunan was magnitude 5, while in Central Taiwan and Southern Taiwan science parks, it was magnitude 4. The recovery rate of semiconductor fab equipment has exceeded 80%, with newly built fabs (such as Fab 18 responsible for producing 3 and 5 nanometers wafers) expected to fully recover by the evening of the 4th..

While some equipment in certain areas suffered damage, affecting production lines, major equipment including all EUV machines remained undamaged. In areas with higher seismic intensity, longer time is expected for adjusting and calibrating to restore automated production.

It is believed that this may refer to the advanced packaging stronghold in Longtan, where production process equipment needs reconfiguration due to earthquake evacuation, unstable or disrupted network signals requiring parameter reset, as well as seismic impacts on cleanroom spaces, damaged pipelines, and machinery relocation, all requiring extensive scheduling for repair.

UMC

A spokesperson for UMC indicated that the impact of the strong quake on 12-inch Fab in Southern Taiwan was relatively light, while 8-inch Fab in Hsinchu was more severely affected. The company’s machinery and pipelines remained undamaged, with only instances of machinery displacement, some quartz tube damage, sprinkler head damage, and partial office ceiling damage.

According to market sources cited in the same report, UMC is actively reallocating manpower to reposition machinery in 8-inch Fab, cleaning damaged wafers, and replacing quartz tubes, expecting a recovery time of two to three days, or even a week.

VIS

VIS stated that as of noon on the 4th, about 80% of affected machinery had returned to normal, and production operations would gradually resume. The company promptly informed affected customers upon the earthquake’s occurrence, maintaining close communication and providing detailed information individually.

Hsinchu Science Park Administration

Most major factories including semiconductor and panel manufacturing plants completed equipment recovery from the quake on the 3rd. Although there was some impact on production lines, effective measures were taken by factories such as seismic design for buildings and machinery, personnel evacuation, and preventive machinery shutdowns, resulting in minimal impact on factory operations.

Currently, factories are operating normally, with a few undergoing machine calibration for full recovery in the short term. Manufacturers’ machinery is gradually returning to operation, personnel have resumed their positions, and major wafer manufacturing plants have sufficient materials and are smoothly recovering operations.

Central Taiwan Science Park Administration

In parts of the Central Taiwan Science Park, which mainly focuses on optoelectronics, semiconductors, and precision machinery industries, manufacturers have gradually resumed operations after machinery shutdowns. Among them, over 90% of high-precision machinery in semiconductor fabs have resumed operation, with only some machines undergoing calibration, all expected to complete and operate normally by the end of the 4th.

Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration

As of noon on the 4th, major factories including TSMC, UMC, Innolux and Corning Taiwan in the area have all resumed normal operations. Continuous monitoring of aftershocks and manufacturer dynamics will be maintained, with necessary assistance provided as needed.

(Photo credit: TSMC)