Toshiba to build new semiconductor plant to add over 2.5 times to production capacity

Japanese electronics firm Toshiba, today, announced that it will build a new 300-millimetre wafer fabrication facility in the country. The company said that the new facility will be built at its main discrete semiconductor production base in Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, and that construction will take place in two phases, which will allow “investments to be optimised against market trends”. 

The company said that the first phase of production will start within fiscal 2024, and reaching full capacity on phase one will allow the company to increase power semiconductor production by 2.5 times as compared to fiscal 2021. Power semiconductors are designed to handle high electrical current and voltage and are typically used as switching devices in electronic devices. They also play a role in managing carbon efficiency since they are used to manage power consumption.

The Japanese firm said that it has med the capacity needs for 200 millimeter semiconductors in this space, and is now “expediting” the start of 300 mm production lines. Work on this will start from the second half of fiscal 2022. It added that the overall capacity of the new fabs will be decided based on market trends.

Further, the new plant will have earthquake proofing measures and will use artificial intelligence (AI) based and automated wafer transport systems to optimize production. "Going forward, Toshiba will expand its power semiconductor business and boost competitiveness by timely investments and research and development that will allow it to respond to fast growing demand, and to contribute to a low-energy society and carbon neutrality," the company said in its announcement.

Toshiba had split its business into three standalone companies in November last year, forming separate units for infrastructure products, devices and semiconductors. The company is expected spend about 100 billion yen (approx $870 million) to build its new plant, according to reports by Japanese media.