A look at Japan's expanding chip sector, aided by $14B+ in subsidies, including for TSMC's plant in Kumamoto, which has been hampered by narrow, jammed roads
Every morning, some of the world's top chip engineers can be found stuck in traffic on Kumamoto Prefecture's Route 30 … Tweets: @business , @pelstrom , @pelstrom , @pelstrom , and @pelstrom Tweets: @business : Will TSMC's new factory in Kumamoto help Japan reclaim its status as a chip superpower amid US-China trade conflicts? https://www.bloomberg.com/... Bloomberg examines the impact on the global chip supply chain ⬇️ [video] Peter Elstrom / @pelstrom : “The roads are so narrow in Kumamoto,” said one resident. “It's a world-class chipmaker that builds factories in places where everything it needs is already there. I wondered where in Kikuyo they'd even build a factory. It's just rice fields.” Peter Elstrom / @pelstrom : TSMC has voiced concerns about the traffic conditions, but it will be years before congestion eases, local officials say. Discussion is still focused on how much wider Route 30 needs to be. Officials have yet to set a construction start date, let alone a target for completion. Peter Elstrom / @pelstrom : Japan has ambitious plans to rebuild its semiconductor industry, with at least $14 billion in government funding. Yet the first stage of that project is running into difficulties from overloaded infrastructure and clogged country roads. via @6d6f636869 https://www.bloomberg.com/... Peter Elstrom / @pelstrom : “The traffic is so bad,” said one resident. “Staffing shortages are everywhere. An elementary school built just two years ago doesn't have enough classrooms; daycares don't have enough teachers.”