Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. sent contractors back onto its Taichung science-park parcel this week after collecting a third building permit for the A14 wafer campus, moving earthwork from paperwork to steel and concrete as Double Ten holiday traffic builds on the central cross-island highways.
The Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau told reporters Tuesday that the world's largest contract chipmaker now holds separate approvals for the production building, a shared utility plant, and three office blocks at the site south of Taichung's urban core. Deputy director Wang Chun-chieh said joint inspections with the company finished last week, clearing contractors to stage cranes and pour foundations before year-end rains intensify.
What the permits unlock
TSMC has described the A14 line as its next-generation node after 2-nanometer production, with the company telling investors it expects the process to deliver roughly 15 percent better performance at the same power envelope. Park officials said the fab footprint will anchor a cluster that Taichung's city government has estimated could generate hundreds of billions of new Taiwan dollars in annual output and several thousand skilled jobs once tools are installed.
Local suppliers said dump trucks began moving graded soil along the park's service roads on Monday, while steel fabricators delivered the first rebar cages for the utility building. A logistics manager for one subcontractor, speaking on condition his firm not be named because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, said crews are working split shifts to avoid clashing with National Day convoys that will use nearby arterials later in the week.
Capital spending context
The construction restart lands one week after TSMC reported record third-quarter revenue and reiterated capital spending guidance of up to US$42 billion for 2025, with management citing sustained demand for leading-edge capacity used in artificial-intelligence accelerators. Investors have treated the Taichung project as proof that Taiwan will remain the primary manufacturing base even as the company expands fabs in the United States and Japan.
Environmental groups in central Taiwan said they will monitor water recycling pledges attached to the park's earlier environmental impact review. Bureau officials said TSMC must file monthly construction safety reports and keep dust suppression active along the site's western fence line, which borders agricultural fields.
Timeline and hiring
Industry analysts who track equipment orders said tool move-in dates will depend on how quickly the shell and clean-room sub-floors are completed. Recruitment ads tied to the project have begun appearing on local job boards, seeking technicians with experience in ultra-pure water systems and high-voltage power feeds.
For Taichung residents, the immediate impact is traffic: police said they will post temporary lane closures when oversized loads enter the park after the Friday holiday. Science park staff asked commuters to use real-time highway signs rather than cutting through neighborhood streets that are not built for heavy rigs.
TSMC declined to comment beyond its prior statements to regulators. Park authorities said they will publish weekly drone snapshots of progress starting in November so nearby townships can see whether the site stays on schedule.