TSMC to build employee residences for opening of new Kumamoto fab

2023-06-06

TSMC has started work on a new chip fab in Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture. The silicon giant expects its new fab in the small town of Kikuyo to start rolling by December 2024. And with hundreds of TSMC staff to relocate within a year or two, there’s lots to prepare. Today we take a look at TSMC’s plans to develop homes for its employees in the town. TSMC recently took a Japanese film crew on a tour of local property, as they tried to work out how to secure good homes for the staff who will relocate. The price of land, local traffic problems, and even the lack of attention to fengshui in Japan all played into TSMC’s decision-making.

Constructors are hard at work at TSMC’s new Kumamoto fab. If all goes to schedule, the plant will start operating in December 2024. The firm expects hundreds of employees and their families to relocate to Kumamoto for the project. And that means TSMC needs to find suitable homes. A rep from TSMC’s facilities supplier recently took a tour of local properties with a Kumamoto real estate agent.

The price of residential land here in the town of Kikuyo has soared by almost 10% in the last year. That will drive up TSMC’s housing budget. And there’s another thing: Many Taiwanese people believe in fengshui as a spiritual principle. Finding enough houses with good fengshui in Kikuyo is a real headache.

Transportation in the local area is another key factor in the house hunt. Kikuyo has seen an influx of different companies in recent years, causing serious traffic congestion. Analysts think that when TSMC goes into business here, these snarl-ups will get even worse.

After considering many different plots of land, TSMC made a snap decision to buy land very near to both the fab and the railway station. They’re going to build a new residential development for employees here. With the new plant going into operation very soon, Kumamoto’s officials and business people anticipate a huge boost for the local economy.

台積電熊本廠明年投產外派住宿問題難解決

2023-06-06

台積電熊本廠區預定將在明年底正式投產，為此也要派出上百名員工及相關廠商人員進駐當地，但如何解決這些外派人員的住宿問題，也令企業方面十分頭痛。除了房價地價快速上漲、交通嚴重堵塞等問題外，如何找到符合華人風水要求的房屋，也是挑選時一大關鍵。

台積電熊本廠區正如火如荼建設中，力拚明年12月投產，預估將有數百名台積電及相關廠商的員工和家屬，陸續進駐熊本當地，但要將這數百人安置在何處，也是企業必須解決的課題。日前台積電的設備供應商，就和熊本不動產業者一同看屋。

菊陽町地區的住宅用地價格，在一年間就飆漲9.7%，讓企業購屋成本大幅增加。但除了價格之外，由於華人社會普遍篤信風水，如何找到一間格局方正的好房，也令企業方面十分頭痛。

但解決住的問題後，區域交通是否順暢，也是選房一大關鍵。目前菊陽町一帶就因大小企業陸續進駐，已出現嚴重交通堵塞問題，各界也預估在台積電正式運作後，交通問題將進一步惡化。

最後台灣業者看了多處房屋和土地後，火速決定買下鄰近廠區及車站的一塊土地，準備在此建設員工宿舍。眼看熊本台積電廠區將在不久的未來正式運作，從地方政府到企業都熱切盼望，能大大炒熱熊本當地經濟發展。