[News] TSMC Reportedly Delays Equipment Move-In at AP7 Advanced Packaging Facility Amid Safety Incidents

TSMC is actively expanding its advanced packaging capacity. According to Economic Daily News, the company originally planned to move equipment into its AP7 advanced packaging facility in Chiayi, Taiwan during the third quarter, but suppliers have reportedly received updated notices pushing the timeline to the fourth quarter.

Economic Daily News highlights that two recent workplace safety incidents at the Chiayi site have reportedly led to construction halts, raising concerns about potential impacts on the facility’s development schedule—and, in turn, the global supply of high-performance computing (HPC) chips.

TSMC has not commented on the reported delay, as noted by Economic Daily News.

While TSMC has not yet revealed specific production plans for the Chiayi site, the report indicates that the first phase will reportedly focus on wafer-level multi-chip module (WMCM) packaging—an approach that integrates multiple chips at the wafer stage before slicing them into individual modules. It is said to be a hybrid packaging approach that combines InFO and CoWoS technologies, and industry sources believe this technology is likely to be first used in Apple’s in-house chips, as noted by Economic Daily News and MoneyDJ.

TSMC Reportedly Faces Safety Incidents at Chiayi Site

Meanwhile, two workplace accidents at TSMC’s Chiayi site have emerged as another factor that could potentially affect the project’s progress. According to the report, Taiwan’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that construction in the affected areas is currently suspended. One incident, involving a forklift, requires an improvement plan and safety training before work can resume. The other, related to scaffolding, also needs an improvement plan before construction can proceed, Economic Daily News reports.

Read more

• [News] TSMC Reportedly Speeds Up AP7 and AP8 Build-Outs, Targets Doubling SoIC Capacity
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(Photo credit: TSMC)