Taiwan's TSMC to invest over $9 billion in plant

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract microchip maker, said Friday it would invest more than nine billion US dollars building a new plant on the island.

Company chairman Morris Chang made the announcement at the groundbreaking ceremony for the plant, named Fab 15, in the Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung in central Taiwan.

"As capacity in Fab 15 grows, it will create 8,000 high-quality job opportunities," Chang was quoted in a company statement as saying.

TSMC is expected to invest more than 300 billion Taiwan dollars (over nine billion US) in the 18.4-hectare (45-acre) plant to be constructed in four phases, with volume production set to start in the 2012 first quarter.

Mark Liu, Senior Vice President for Operations, said the plant would generate annual revenue of five billion US dollars once at full capacity, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

The company has dubbed the plant a "green fab" because it uses energy conservation and pollution control technologies to reclaim rainwater, reuse general exhaust heat and generate solar power, it said.