The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced today that the Advanced Semiconductor R&D Center has officially broken ground at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) headquarters campus in Hsinchu. Jointly promoted by the MOEA, the National Development Council (NDC), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), the project is supported under the IC Taiwan initiative and will establish the nation's first 12-inch advanced semiconductor pilot line. Scheduled for completion in December 2027, this R&D center will provide comprehensive services including innovative IC design verification, advanced process development, and localized equipment and material validation. The facility is designed to lower verification barriers for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), effectively bridging the gap between laboratory research and industrial commercialization. By enabling deployment of cutting-edge technologies such as AI chips, silicon photonics, and quantum technologies, the Center will further solidify Taiwan's leadership within the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin noted that Taiwan's 8.36% economic growth last year was largely driven by semiconductor and AI sectors, with continued positive momentum expected. He emphasized the ministry's role in providing SMEs with opportunities for small-scale, diversified, and specialized chip prototyping. By integrating new 12-inch R&D capabilities with upgraded 8-inch pilot lines, this R&D center will provide a comprehensive one-stop service platform covering design, manufacturing, packaging, and testing. In addition, it will allow domestic equipment and material suppliers to conduct on-site demonstration and validation, accelerating their integration into international markets and global supply chains. Minister Kung expressed his expectation that this R&D center will expedite the development of a resilient, autonomous, and next-generation semiconductor innovation ecosystem in Taiwan.

According to the Department of Industrial Technology, this R&D center is a key part of a broader national semiconductor infrastructure plan comprising three major pilot lines and a metrology validation laboratory. The 12-inch advanced pilot line represents an investment of NT$3.77 billion and will be Taiwan's first high-technology semiconductor facility of its kind operated by a research institution. The facility construction is scheduled to be completed in December 2027, with operations commencing in the first quarter of 2028. The pilot line will provide 28-90 nm back-end-of-line (BEOL) process R&D and pilot production services, with the goal of shortening product development cycles by approximately 30%. Supporting forward-looking technologies such as quantum computing, silicon photonics, ASICs, and 3D integration, this R&D center enables domestic firms to complete the full R&D-validation-iteration cycle within Taiwan. Additionally, this R&D center will strengthen supply chain resilience, promote academic collaboration, cultivate high-level technical talent, and establish a comprehensive semiconductor innovation ecosystem for the AI era.