Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC), a manufacturer of semiconductors, started mass producing its most cutting-edge chips on Thursday in southern Taiwan and said it would keep increasing its production capacity there.

The long-awaited mass production of 3-nanometer chips has begun as interest is drawn to the domestic and international investment plans of the largest contract chipmaker in the world. As a producer of cutting-edge chips used in technology ranging from cellphones to fighter jets, TSMC holds a dominant position.

“TSMC is maintaining its technology leadership while investing significantly in Taiwan, continuing to invest and prosper with the environment,” TSMC Chairman Mark Liu told a ceremony marking the production and capacity expansion in the southern city of Tainan.

Liu claimed that the 3-nanometer chip produced by the company was in “very strong demand,” driven by emerging technologies like 5G and high-performance computing devices. He said nothing further.

One of the largest foreign investments in American history, TSMC announced earlier this month that it would more than triple its planned investment at its new Arizona plant to $40 billion.

The Taiwanese business, which counts Apple Inc. and Nvidia Corp. among its principal customers, is also constructing a chip factory in Japan and has stated that it is currently evaluating the possibility of expanding into Germany.

Liu stated that the production was proof that TSMC was “taking concrete action to develop advanced technology and expand capacity in Taiwan” in apparent response to worries that TSMC’s foreign investment would threaten Taiwan’s dominant position in the semiconductor industry.

According to Taiwan’s government, the island’s status as a significant producer of semiconductors and a manufacturer of the most cutting-edge chips is secure, all worries about a “goodbye to Taiwan” trend for the chip industry have been put to rest.

Liu claimed that the mass production was effective and had good yields, and that within five years, the new 3-nanometer technology would produce finished goods with a $1.5 trillion market value.

TSMC said it was working to build factories for the next generation 2-nanometre chips, which were planned to be manufactured in northern and central Taiwan.

TSMC has repeatedly said that the bulk of its manufacturing will remain in Taiwan.

(Adapted from USNews.com)

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