TSMC's partnership with Japanese firms threatens Samsung's foundry biz: analysts

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC)’s strategic partnership with Japanese chipmakers could threaten the status of Samsung Electronics, which is struggling to catch up with the bigger rival, according to analysts.

Japan has signed off on a 37-billion-yen semiconductor research project to develop cutting-edge chip technology in the country that would have about 20 Japanese companies, including Hitachi High-Tech Corp., working with TSMC.

The Japanese government will pay over half of the cost.

Backed by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, the project is focusing on research and development of chip packaging, which is the final stage of semiconductor device fabrication.

The construction of facilities will start around September, with full-scale R&D projects expected to kick off in 2022.

The partnership with TSMC will bolster the Japanese firms, which are strong in chip components, equipment, and NAND flash memory fabrication, but laggards in the foundry market, where chipmakers make chips for fabless companies and chip designing firms.

The Japanese government also wants Sony Corp. to enhance ties with TSMC in the image sensor segment, according to media reports.

TSMC’s foundry market share increased from 54 percent to 55 percent, widening its lead over Samsung to 38 percent.

Samsung's market share fell from 18 percent in the fourth quarter last year to 17 percent in the first quarter due to the temporary shutdown of its Austin chip plant.

To compound Samsung's woes, electronics companies, one of its key customers for chips, are seen reducing their production due to a shortage of system chips such as display driver ICs (DDIs) and microcontroller units (MCUs).

While Samsung has been aggressively expanding facilities in its quest for global leadership, its 10 trillion won-a-year expenditure to develop its foundry technology pales in comparison to TSMC’s 30 trillion won-a-year investment.

There's also an industry outlook that the global demand for memory chips, Samsung's mainstay products, may not be as strong as forecast.