Notable Apple partner TSMC is said to be in talks with Sony about building a new chip factory in Japan.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., has recently concluded a discussion with mega-company Sony to try and create a semiconductor plant, which could be its first foothold in the region.
Nikkei reports that the project could be valued at $7 billion, or 800 billion yen. The Japanese government is expected to come up with half the investment while Sony could be putting in a minority stake. If approved, the site will be located in the Kumamoto Prefecture near Sony’s image sensor factory.
TSMC is believed to be in talks with other companies, notably Denso so it could gain a supply of chips for its automobile parts. Due to its partnership with Apple, it’s possible that the Cupertino-based company could tap into the chip foundry to power the Apple Car. Furthermore, operation is believed to begin by the year 2024.