en.Wedoany.com Reported - At 16:27 local time on July 28, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, at a focal depth of approximately 10 kilometers, causing traffic disruptions across the Kyushu region and damage to multiple infrastructure facilities. Kumamoto Prefecture is home to numerous semiconductor-related plants. Japanese semiconductor equipment giant TEL has confirmed the suspension of operations at two plants, while TSMC's Kumamoto plant also evacuated employees immediately, and manufacturers such as Sony are still confirming the extent of the damage.
On July 28, Japanese semiconductor equipment giant TEL announced that, as of now, regarding "TEL Kyushu" located in Kumamoto Prefecture, the buildings and equipment at the Koshi Plant (Koshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture) and the Otsu Plant (Kikuchi District, Otsu Town, Kumamoto Prefecture) have not sustained major damage. However, with safety as the top priority, the two plants in the area will be shut down on July 29 for safety inspections. If production resumes afterward, an announcement will be made immediately. It is understood that TEL's Koshi and Otsu plants are primarily engaged in the research, development, and production of coater/developer equipment, cleaning equipment, and 3D packaging equipment.
Seismic intensity 5-strong was also observed in Kikuyo Town, where TSMC's Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) plant is located. Following the earthquake, the JASM facility immediately activated its emergency response mechanism and completed personnel evacuation without delay. On July 28, TSMC stated that, to ensure personnel safety, the JASM facility in Kumamoto, Japan, activated relevant safety precautions in accordance with internal company procedures and evacuated personnel immediately. All personnel at the facility have been confirmed safe, and building damage inspections have been completed, confirming structural safety with production gradually resuming. JASM's first plant primarily produces chips using mature process technologies, covering 28/22/16/12nm nodes, with a monthly capacity of approximately 20,000 wafers, mainly serving applications such as CMOS image sensors. The plant has now gradually resumed production, and given its relatively low share of TSMC's overall capacity, the market believes the impact of this earthquake on the company's overall operations is limited.
TSMC's JASM second plant, currently under construction, was not directly impacted by the earthquake, but some construction work has been temporarily halted for safety reasons, with resumption to proceed gradually depending on aftershock conditions. The second plant is planned to mass-produce 3nm process technology in the future, with mass production expected to begin in 2028. Given the long lead time before production starts, the actual impact of this earthquake on the 3nm mass production plan is limited.
Sony is currently continuing to confirm the safety of personnel and the extent of damage at its first image sensor plant in Kikuyo Town and its second image sensor plant in Koshi City.
Mitsubishi Electric operates 24-hour power semiconductor plants in Koshi City and Kikuchi City and is currently rushing to confirm whether there are any injuries and the status of plant production.
Automotive chip giant Renesas Electronics is confirming the extent of damage at its Kawashiri Plant (Kumamoto City) and Nishiki Plant (Nishiki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture).
EBARA is confirming the status of its semiconductor equipment parts plant in Nankan Town, northwestern Kumamoto Prefecture.
