VIS2026-09-28 06:56:56VIS and NXP open Singapore 12-inch fab as VSMC studies a second plantVanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and NXP Semiconductors have opened VSMC’s first 12-inch wafer fab in Singapore, marking a major step for the joint venture and for VIS’s move from 8-inch into 12-inch foundry manufacturing. The plant officially held its opening ceremony on Sept. 28, 2026, after roughly 22 months of construction from groundbreaking in December 2024. Total investment in the first fab reached $7.8 billion, with planned monthly capacity of 44,000 wafers. The project also highlights the overseas deployment of Taiwan’s semiconductor factory engineering ecosystem. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a shareholder in VIS, provided technology licensing and facility manpower support, while Taiwanese engineering suppliers including Marketech International, CTCI Advanced Systems, United Integrated Services, and L&K Engineering participated in automation, facility systems, specialty gas and chemical supply, cleanroom work, and electromechanical contracting. According to Bloomberg, the fab will focus on specialty process technologies from 40 nm to 130 nm, covering mixed-signal, power management, and embedded flash applications for automotive and industrial uses. NXP CEO Rafael Sotomayor said the investment is the company’s largest since its 2015 acquisition of Freescale and is intended to support hardware demand tied to "Physical AI" at the edge, including automotive and infrastructure applications. VIS Chairman Fang Leuh said chip shortages are likely to persist for some time and confirmed the company is evaluating the possibility of building a second fab in Singapore, though no capital spending figure has been disclosed.00
TSMC2026-09-28 04:43:53VIS launches first Singapore wafer fab as capacity is already sold outVIS, a chipmaker backed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), held an opening ceremony on Monday for its first advanced chip manufacturing plant in Singapore, according to Nikkei. The company is already looking toward building a second facility. Demand tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure has filled the new plant’s capacity as soon as it came online. The fab, called VSMC, is a joint venture between VIS and European chipmaker NXP. It began trial production in June, only 18 months after construction started, a pace Nikkei said is much faster than the more than two years usually needed to build a chip plant. VIS said the first batch of chips reached a yield of at least 99%. The factory is scheduled to begin mass production in early 2027. The report added that the plant will also help TSMC produce interposers used in advanced chip packaging, which act as substrates linking different types of chips for leading AI chip companies including Nvidia, Google and Broadcom. TSMC is VIS’s largest shareholder with a stake of about 19%.10
