Terafab has stepped up semiconductor hiring in Taiwan, posting nine senior engineering openings tied to advanced manufacturing. The roles call for hands-on experience in sub-7nm and 2nm process technologies, and some also specify knowledge of CoWoS advanced packaging. According to the source material, several positions require more than 10 years of experience, and the listed compensation reaches NT$7 million to NT$8 million a year. The openings reportedly attracted more than 100 resumes in two weeks.
Openings cover core steps in advanced chip production
The job list is closely aligned with the technical areas where Taiwan has deep experience. Positions include CMP, electroplating, thin-film metal processing, thin-film processing, dry etch, wet etch, lithography, yield and metrology, and process integration. All are labeled as senior roles. The minimum requirement is five years of advanced process experience, while some postings ask for 10 years or more.
One listing explicitly names CoWoS and SoIC packaging technologies. The source says both were led by TSMC. Terafab’s broader plan spans logic chips, memory, advanced packaging, testing, and masks, which means the hiring need runs across the full manufacturing chain. The same report notes that TSMC is currently the only company with mass-production experience across that entire stack.
Pay package stands well above commonly cited TSMC levels
The report compares Terafab’s offer with TSMC compensation ranges. For 2026, a newly hired master’s graduate at TSMC starts at NT$2.2 million. Manufacturing engineers are listed at NT$1.31 million to NT$2.77 million. Senior hardware engineers at level 31-35 are shown in a range of NT$1.63 million to NT$7.23 million, with many falling in the NT$3 million to NT$4 million area, excluding additional allowances and bonuses.
On that basis, Terafab’s NT$7 million to NT$8 million package is roughly 2 to 2.5 times the commonly cited level for senior TSMC engineers. Against median manufacturing engineer pay, the gap approaches three times. The same source also says Terafab is recruiting in South Korea for Samsung talent in HBM and 2nm.
C.C. Wei says chipmaking has no shortcut
TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei responded to the hiring push by saying, “We will not underestimate competitors, but there is no shortcut in this industry. Building a new wafer fab takes 2-3 years.” His remarks addressed the pace of building manufacturing capacity, even as the market watches how quickly experienced engineers may move.
The source adds that Musk unveiled the Terafab plan on March 21 at the Seaholm Historic Power Plant in Austin, with a planned investment of $20 billion to $25 billion. The site is set for Giga Texas North, and the project targets 1TW of annual AI compute output. Intel announced on April 7 that it would join the plan. The report says only TSMC, Samsung, and Intel currently mass-produce processes below 5nm, which helps explain why Terafab’s recruiting focus is so concentrated.