TSMC is expecting to start production of 3nm wafers at its second Japanese chip fab in 2028.

The timeline was confirmed in a Taiwanese government filing this week, a month after the chipmaker’s CEO reversed course on its previous manufacturing plans at the site.

The company had originally planned to make 7nm chips at the Kumamoto facility, with production slated for late 2027. According to the filing, the forthcoming Japanese fab will have a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers made using advanced 3nm process node technology.

Investment in the fab is expected to total $17 billion, local media reported at the time, although TSMC has yet to confirm this figure.

TSMC first announced plans to open a second semiconductor fab in Kumamoto in February 2024 as part of its $20bn planned investment in Japan. However, in July 2025, it was reported that the company had delayed construction at the site in order to prioritize the expansion of its manufacturing base in the US.

At the time, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei blamed the delay on excessive car traffic in the region, a claim that was later refuted by the Japanese government, which said TSMC had not directly reported any traffic issues.

TSMC’s first semiconductor fab in Kumamoto, Japan, started volume production in late 2024, manufacturing 12-28nm nodes for the automotive and industrial sectors.