An investigation by analyst house TrendForce has found that a number of semiconductor-related facilities in Japan have been affected by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the Ishikawa region on Monday.
Companies with facilities in the affected region include multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) manufacturer Taiyo Yuden; silicon wafer producers Shin-Etsu and GlobalWafers; and fab makers Toshiba and Tower Partners Semiconductor Company (TPSCo).
However, the investigation found that because most of the facilities are situated in areas which are prone to level 4 and 5 seismic activity, many of the factories had been built with enough structural integrity to withstand such natural disasters.
According to TrendForce, Shin-Etsu and GlobalWafers have shut down their facilities for a precautionary inspection, as the crystal growth technique used at their factories are particularly sensitive to seismic movements. Elsewhere, TPSCo has shut down its factories in Uozu, Tonami, and Arai to check for any potential damage, while Toshiba is also carrying out safety checks at its out Kaga facility.
The investigation further noted that Taiyo Yuden’s Niigata plant has not experienced any equipment damage as a result of the earthquake, likely due to the facility being designed to withstand earthquakes with a 7 magnitude.
The disaster bookends a year that has seen heavy investment from both private companies and the Japanese government to bolster the country’s domestic semiconductor industry.
In addition to both Micron and TSMC pledging billions of dollars to open manufacturing plants in Japan, in November the government earmarked $13.3 billion to boost the country’s chip industry, with funding expected to be split between manufacturing and R&D.