Report: European TSMC fab will be a joint venture

TSMC will work with local partners to build a fab in Germany, according to a Digitimes report. This collaboration model mirrors the one in Japan, where TSMC, Sony and a few other Japanese companies have entered into a joint venture for the construction of a 7-billion-dollar fab to manufacture logic ICs. Initially, the facility will focus on 22/28nm chips for Sony and a number of other Japanese customers. It stands to reason that the European fab would target automotive chips. In a separate report, Digitimes says that a final decision for the project will be made this summer.