By Wen-Yee Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan’s Vanguard International Semiconductor said on Friday it will speed up construction of its 12-inch wafer fab in Singapore as geopolitical risks prompt customers to seek more options to make chips outside China.
Construction of the factory, part of VSMC, a joint venture Vanguard unveiled last year with European chipmaker NXP Semiconductors, is on schedule and even slightly ahead, with mass production expected to begin in 2027, it added.
Vanguard specialises in legacy chips that go into products from cars to display panels. Chinese competitors have been aggressively building up manufacturing capacity for the chips in recent years.
Vanguard Chairman Leuh Fang told reporters some customers had also placed urgent orders due to hefty U.S. tariffs, but added a lot of uncertainties could still affect full-year demand.
The company exports less than 1% of its chips directly to the United States.
(Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Kate Mayberry)
