20240228 Cover Investment in Japan's chip industry img main

Taiwanese chip titan TSMC's new plant in Kumamoto, southern Japan, opened on Feb. 24 to much fanfare. The factory is part of a flow of new foreign chip investment into Japan, spurred on by government subsidies. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)

Japan's chip reboot: TSMC, Samsung, Micron pave way for silicon revival

After 20 'lost years,' subsidies help draw top-tier foreign chipmakers to invest

KUMAMOTO, Japan -- Hsieh Yong-fen, a materials scientist turned entrepreneur, opened her company's second Japan-based laboratory in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto late last year. Now she is deciding whether to build a third.

As founder and CEO of Hsinchu, Taiwan-based Materials Analysis Technology, better known to the industry as MA-tek, Hsieh is simply following her main clients -- global tech and chip giants like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Sony -- by expanding in Japan. MA-tek's main work is testing cutting-edge semiconductor materials and certifying new products.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.