TSMC has recently initiated a restructuring of its 8-inch factory operations in Taiwan, reallocating part of the workforce to advanced fabrication facilities.

The company dominates the global market for artificial intelligence (AI) chip orders and has significantly expanded its 12-inch advanced process capacity. In response to demand and cost considerations, TSMC has begun reducing personnel from its mature 6-inch and 8-inch factories. This unprecedented move will consolidate one 6-inch and three 8-inch factories in Hsinchu into a single entity managed by one factory director, with an estimated 20% of over a thousand employees transferred to advanced fabrication areas.

Since the operational launch of its first 6-inch plant in 1990, TSMC has maintained four 8-inch factories and one 6-inch factory in Taiwan. With the semiconductor industry transitioning toward 12-inch fabrication, TSMC boasts four GIGAFAB facilities that significantly enhance its advanced packaging capabilities.

Despite challenges posed by the global market, demand for TSMC's advanced processes continues to rise, while the mature process sector faces pressure from oversupply driven by competition in China. As part of this strategic adjustment, TSMC has also sold some 12-inch equipment over 40nm to a Singaporean firm and announced an internal organizational restructuring.