TSMC to hire 4,000 for high-end process development

With how many chips run our many computing and “smart” devices these days, chances are that you own something made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chips that began life at TSMC’s semiconductor foundry in Taiwan are in computers, video cards, smartphones, and more. Now, TSMC is gearing up for the next generation of semiconductors with plans to hire staff for 4,000 new jobs according to a report from Focus Taiwan.

Focus Taiwan writes that TSMC has listed a bunch of job openings on the recruitment site TaiwanJobs. Further, the company is actively recruiting on college campuses. The openings run the full gamut required for semiconductor research and production. Focus Taiwan spotted openings for things like electrical engineering, optoelectronics, physics, production, chemicals, and even human resources and labor relations.

TSMC is in mass production of its 7-nm process right now. It plans to push its 5-nm process into production in the first half of 2020, with 3 nm coming in 2022. The company expects to spend $15 – $16 billion in 2020 as it digs into the development and manufacturing of these processes. Of that $15-plus billion, TSMC has said that previously that 80% will go toward these newer, thinner processes. Increasing demand for 5G and High-Performance Computing will help push the new development ahead and keep demand high.

Background on TSMC

TSMC’s semiconductor foundry was the first dedicated of such facilities in the world when Morris Chang founded the company back in 1987. The company continues to supply semiconductors for some of the biggest companies in computing, including AMD, Nvidia, and Apple. TSMC’s market share hovers around 50% of the market depending on the year, having been just below this last year.