(News) TSMC is said to be expecting Fab 18 to recover by January 23.

After the 6.4 earthquake on January 21, TSMC in Taiwan, according to the Commercial Times, has recovered its operation by January 23 and has been able to resume normal production mainly.

On the other hand, in another report of Liberty Times, Fab 18 of TSMC, which specializes in advanced 3nm and 5nm nodes, is completely operating by January 23, but focuses on legacy nodes. We emphasize that the timeline remains uncertain.

The Liberty Times report quotes the supply chain source to clarify that FAB 18 is a newly built facility with a high earthquake resistance evaluation. However, since the earthquake is still reported to have been damaged over 25,000 to 30,000, it may have an estimated 30-40 % effect on devices.

On the other hand, TSMC’s Fab 14 is an old facility that produces mature nodes, so it may not be so lucky. According to Liberty Times, the supply chain information sources are affected by about half of Fab devices and cannot use more than 30,000 fab 14a and 14B.

Commercial time suggests that the TSMC has reported a 3 billion NT (US $ 91.6 million) earthquake -related loss in a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in April 2024. In comparison, the report adds that the economic impact of recent earthquakes is expected to be managed.

TRENDFORCE has pointed out that TSMC operates 8 -inch fab and two 12 -inch fabs in TAINAN, producing a wide range of technologies, from mature nodes to advanced 5/4nm and 3nm processes.

According to Trendforce, Tainan Fabs generates a variety of products, but the overall usage rate of maturity processes is currently 70-80 %, reflecting the seasonality of the demand for components. This gains great flexibility in production adjustment. In the case of advanced nodes, Trendforce believes that most of the current wafers are now in preparation for inventory and can easily reduce the impact of short downtime or minor fragments. As a result, a serious confusion is not expected.

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(Photo credit: TSMC)