VSMC opens $8.5 billion semiconductor plant in Singapore — Channel NewsAsia

VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (VSMC) has opened its first silicon wafer plant in Singapore's Tampines district, worth S$8.5 billion, or US$6.7 billion. The facility is expected to create 1,600 jobs, Channel NewsAsia reports.

Production from 2027

The plant plans to begin mass production in the first quarter of 2027. After reaching full capacity in 2029, it will be able to produce 44,000 300 mm silicon wafers per month.

The facility will produce microchips using process technologies ranging from 40 to 130 nanometers. Such chips are used, among other things, in mixed-signal systems, power management systems, and interposers. The products will be supplied for high-performance computing, mobile devices, automotive, industrial, and consumer equipment.

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Joint venture of VIS and NXP

VSMC is a joint venture between Taiwan's Vanguard International Semiconductor, which is backed by TSMC, and the Netherlands' NXP Semiconductors. Construction of the plant took 22 months.

Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng said that 75% of the 1,600 new jobs will be professional, managerial, executive, and technical positions. These include jobs for engineers, chemists, and data specialists who will work with advanced manufacturing equipment, develop and produce wafers, and optimize production processes.

According to the Singapore Economic Development Board, the semiconductor industry accounts for around 6% of the country's economy and employs more than 35,000 people. Singapore accounts for approximately one in every 10 microchips produced worldwide, as well as one-fifth of global output of equipment for the semiconductor industry.