Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has opened its global semiconductor Research and Development Center in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Construction of the center, which will be dedicated to developing TSMC’s next-generation semiconductor technology, was started in 2020.

It will be home to researchers developing TSMC’s 2-nanometer technology and sub-2 nanometer, as well as other scientists and scholars exploring novel materials and transistor structures. In all, it is expected that the site will have more than 7,000 employees on site by September 2023.

The company first announced plans to ramp up its R&D in the sub-2 nanometer manufacturing process in May 2022.

“The brilliant minds that we will gather together here at our global R&D Center will be working to answer today’s most challenging questions in semiconductor technology, as well as future questions that we have not even imagined,” said TSMC chairman Dr. Mark Liu.

“I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the solutions and technologies that will emerge from here in the decades to come.”

The R&D center spans around 300,000 sqm (3,229,200 sq ft). It has been designed with vegetated walls, rainwater collection tanks, and rooftop solar panels able to generate 287kW at peak conditions.

The center is located at the Hsinchu Science Park. The Science park was established by the government of the Republic of China in 1980, and is home to over 400 technology companies working in semiconductors, computers, telecommunications, and optoelectronic industries.

Last week, TSMC announced that it was postponing its chip factory in Arizona due to a shortage of skilled workers. The fabrication plant is set to be the company’s first in the US but has been pushed back to 2025. The company plans to develop its most advanced processors in Taiwan, even after this new factory has been built.

TSMC reported a 23 percent drop in second-quarter net profits this month, the first year-on-year drop in quarterly profit it has experienced since 2019.