Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) is reportedly set to increase the starting monthly salary for new hires by approximately 40%, breaking the JPY 300,000 barrier for the first time (approximately USD 2,121). This move is expected to align the salary level with international counterparts to attract talent.

According to the report from Nikkei Asia, TEL has been consistently raising salaries and bonuses due to its strong business performance. The company will raise the salary for all new hires by JPY 85,500.

Starting in April 2024, the monthly salary for university graduates joining the company will reach JPY 304,800 (USD 2,161), while those with higher qualifications can receive JPY 320,000. This marks the first salary increase for new employees at TEL in seven years.

As per the survey conducted by the Japan’s National Personnel Authority in the spring of 2023, Japanese private companies offer an average starting salary of around JPY 210,000 (approximately USD 1,484) for university graduates, with those holding higher degrees receiving around JPY 230,000. On the other hand, TEL’s financial statement reveals that the company’s average annual salary as of March 2023 is JPY 13.98 million.

Japan has seen a series of significant investments in the semiconductor industry, including TSMC’s entry into Kumamoto, Kyushu. Semiconductor manufacturers are offering high salaries to attract skilled workers, and this trend is prompting chip equipment suppliers to follow suit.

TEL plans to hire approximately 400 new graduates in the spring, an increase of 50 from the previous year, and envisions increasing the number of new employees to 500 within the next few years.

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(Photo credit: TEL)

As competition in the semiconductor industry intensifies, countries worldwide are implementing industrial policies to attract domestic and foreign investments. Japan, in particular, has introduced substantial subsidies to entice industry players to invest and establish facilities.

According to the report from South Korean “Dong-a Ilbo,” compared to other nations, South Korea’s semiconductor industry lacks sufficient subsidies, and there are concerns that Japan may surpass South Korea within the next decade.

Given the high cost of advanced semiconductor facility equipment and relatively higher local labor and other costs in Japan compared to other Asian countries, semiconductor companies are making substantial investments, often in the trillions of yen, to set up facilities in Japan.

In an effort to attract foreign companies to establish facilities in Japan, the Japanese government not only promotes the capabilities of numerous domestic semiconductor upstream suppliers to meet supply chain demands but also provides subsidies to alleviate the burden on industry players, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of products manufactured in Japan.

Taking memory giant Micron as an example, reportedly, Micron’s DRAM plant being constructed in Hiroshima, Japan, has received a 39% subsidy from the Japanese government for the construction cost. This subsidy has enhanced its cost competitiveness by 5% to 7%.

With substantial assistance from the Japanese government, there is a potential for Micron to narrow the market share gap with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in the future.

In recent years, TSMC has also chosen to establish a plant in Kumamoto, Japan, under the active solicitation of the Japanese government. In June of the previous year, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry announced that TSMC, along with Sony and Denso, jointly investing in Kumamoto Fab 1, could receive a maximum subsidy of JPY 476 billion (approximately USD 3.34 billion), equivalent to half of the construction cost.

The head of the Japanese Semiconductor Strategic Promotion Council, Akira Amari, previously mentioned that the Japanese government would provide one-third of the construction cost as a subsidy for TSMC’s Kumamoto Fab 2.

However, in November of this year, the Japanese Cabinet approved a semiconductor subsidy plan of nearly JPY 2 trillion, deciding to grant a subsidy of JPY 900 billion to TSMC’s Kumamoto Fab 2, exceeding one-third of the construction cost.

As per TrendForce’s report, Japan is also actively supporting local company Rapidus with a goal of reaching the most advanced 2 nm process. They aim to create a semiconductor cluster in Hokkaido and are offering subsidies to foreign companies, including Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) and PSMC’s Sendai plant (JSMC).

This dual-pronged approach by the Japanese government aims to attract both domestic and foreign semiconductor industry investments in Japan.

While the South Korean parliament expanded tax incentives for semiconductor facility investment in the chip law passed in March of this year, it did not provide direct cash subsidies, raising concerns among industry professionals about the potential overtaking of the South Korean semiconductor industry by Japan.

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(Photo credit: TSMC)

In a bid to compete with rivals like Tesla, who conduct in-house research and development of advanced chips for automotive applications, Japanese automakers have reportedly established a new organization to collaboratively research and develop advanced automotive chips, integrating their technologies and designs.

According to a report by Nikkei, automakers including Toyota have established a new organization called the “Automotive SoC Research Association” (temporarily referred as ASRA), joining forces to develop advanced chips for applications like autonomous driving.

Established in December in Nagoya, ASRA is set to commence research on SoC products with a process of 10nm or more advanced nodes starting in 2024. In addition to Toyota, other automakers such as Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, and Japanese enterprises including Renesas Electronics and Socionext have also joined the initiative.

According to the report, the trend of automakers intensifying in-house development of automotive chips is growing. The report further indicates that semiconductor giants in the United States, such as NVIDIA and Qualcomm, are also developing high-performance SoCs for automotive use.

Leading electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has opted for in-house development due to dissatisfaction with limited choices, and their self-developed SoCs are already actively deployed in their vehicles.

On the other hand, Chinese automaker NIO, for example, possesses semiconductor research and development teams in both China and the United States. They have successfully developed semiconductor products used for controlling Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology.

(Photo credit: Pixabay)

The sales revenue of the 2023 semiconductor photoresist market is expected to decline by 6-9% year-on-year. With continuous improvement in downstream customer inventory and gradual recovery of production capacity, the semiconductor industry is expected to experience a revival in 2024, and demand for photoresists is also expected to rebound.

TrendForce has released its latest report, ‘Analysis of the Global Photoresist Market in 2023,’ analyzing the market conditions and competitive landscape of the photoresist market. Excerpts from the report are as follows:

1. Semiconductor Demand Expected to Rebound in 2024

With the ongoing improvement in downstream customer inventory, gradual recovery of production capacity utilization, and the maturation and surge in applications such as AI and smart automobiles, it is anticipated that the semiconductor industry will experience a revival in 2024.

The semiconductor photoresist market is also poised for a rebound, with market size returning to the historical peak of 2022 and further growing to surpass USD 2.8 billion by 2027.

2. High-End Photoresists Show Significant Growth Potential as Chinese and Korean Suppliers Strive for Localization Breakthroughs

With the sustained growth in demand for advanced processes, high-end photoresists such as EUV, ArFi/ArF, will continue to grow as well. In particular, EUV photoresists are poised for substantial growth as the industry pursues chips with increased computational power and energy efficiency.

The quantity of advanced chips produced using EUV technology is expected to surge significantly, making EUV photoresists the segment with the greatest growth potential in the semiconductor photoresist market. It is projected that by 2025, EUV photoresists will account for a 10% share of the market.

Due to the high barriers to entry in photoresist production, currently, Japanese manufacturers dominate the global photoresist market with a supply proportion of approximately 80%.

Particularly in advanced photoresist areas such as EUV, ArFi/ArF, major Japanese companies like JSR, TOK, and Shin-Etsu Chemical hold absolute dominance, and incidents of supply disruptions from Japanese photoresist suppliers are not uncommon.

In response to the risk of supply disruptions, both China and South Korea have actively promoted the localization of photoresist production. In South Korea, companies like Dongjin Semichem and SK Materials have made significant progress in the field of advanced photoresists, achieving domestic production of certain ArFi and EUV photoresists.

In China, the domestic production rate of photoresists in the mid-to-low-end range has reached 30%, and efforts in research and development are continually strengthening in the field of ArF and EUV photoresists. Partial import substitution has been achieved for ArF photoresists, and it is anticipated that the domestic production rate will gradually increase in the future.

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(Photo credit: Unsplash)

Following TSMC’s first plant built in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, Samsung has also chosen Yokohama as the location for its new facility in Japan.

According to Japanese media NHK’s report, South Korean Samsung Electronics has decided the establishment of a new semiconductor research and development center in Yokohama, Japan. with a total investment of JPY 40 billion (approximately USD 278 million).

The Japanese government is set to provide half of the total subsidy for this investment. The project is expected to commence next year and will focus on the research and development of advanced packaging.

Additionally, Samsung plans to hire around 100 local engineers in Japan and is cautiously evaluating the possibility of collaboration with Japanese research organizations.

NHK, citing sources, reported that Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio plans to announce this expanded investment in Japan soon.

Given the continuous competition between China and the United States in the semiconductor sector, the calls for strengthening the domestic semiconductor supply chain in Japan have grown louder.

Consequently, the Japanese government has been encouraging foreign chipmakers to establish a presence in Japan, aiming to reinforce domestic supply chains.

As of May this year, Kishida Fumio met with seven semiconductor giants, including Intel, Samsung, Micron, and TSMC. The meeting demonstrated a commitment to revitalize Japan’s semiconductor industry. At that time, rumors about Japan providing subsidies to Samsung already existed, sparking market discussions.

(Photo credit: Samsung)