A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture in Japan, and no significant damage has been confirmed so far at local plants of TSMC, the world's largest foundry (contract chipmaker).
According to Reuters and others on the 28th, Cabinet Secretary Minoru Gihara, the Japanese government Spokesperson, said at a briefing that "so far there have been no reports of damage related to TSMC's Kumamoto fab (plant)."
At the time of the quake, shaking at intensity upper 5 on the Japan Meteorological Agency scale was observed in Kikuyo, Kumamoto prefecture, where JASM (Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing), TSMC's Japan manufacturing subsidiary, is located. An intensity upper 5 is strong enough that most people have difficulty moving and unsecured furniture can topple.
According to Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA), TSMC evacuated all employees inside and outside the plant immediately after the quake under its emergency response procedures. In a statement, the company said, "This earthquake met evacuation criteria, so we activated standard emergency response procedures," adding, "Employee safety is the top priority." It is currently checking the safety of evacuated employees and the condition of facilities, and production equipment is also being inspected.
Kumamoto hosts production facilities not only for TSMC but also for major semiconductor and high-tech companies such as Sony and Fujifilm. Reuters reported that TSMC, Sony, and Fujifilm all evacuated employees immediately after the quake and are inspecting facility safety.
The earthquake occurred at about 4:27 p.m. near Uki, Kumamoto prefecture. Very strong shaking of up to intensity 7 was observed, and a tsunami advisory was briefly issued and then lifted. At least 50 people have been injured so far, and damage has followed, including the partial collapse of a large shopping mall, but no abnormalities have been reported at major critical facilities such as nuclear power plants.
TSMC's first production base in Japan, Kumamoto Plant 1, began mass production in 2024 and is producing automotive and industrial chips. The company is building a second plant on an adjacent site and is aiming to begin mass production of advanced 3-nanometer (nm) chips in 2028.