Wu Cheng-wen, minister of Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council, has pointed to the Tainan Science Park ecosystem as the site for a new industrial park dedicated to manufacturing 1-nanometer chips, with development set to begin in 2027. He said so during a talk at the IEEE Asian Solid-State Circuits Conference, as reported by Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News and picked up by Wccftech. The minister didn’t name any company, but TSMC is the only firm in Taiwan making chips at the most advanced nodes, so all signs point to it.
The Tainan 1nm park in 30 seconds
- What was said: Taiwan’s government is planning a new park near the Tainan Science Park for 1nm processes, with development starting in 2027.
- Who said it: Wu Cheng-wen, minister of the National Science and Technology Council, without naming TSMC.
- Context: TSMC is already mass-producing 2nm chips and has its A14 node, at 1.4nm, planned for 2028.
- What’s missing: no confirmation from TSMC, no investment figures, no number of fabs, and no production date.
Wu framed the announcement within a broader challenge. In his remarks, with 2nm already in mass production, the jump to 1nm doesn’t depend only on technological progress but also on the supply chain and on allocating resources like land, water and electricity that these fabs need. That coordination is, precisely, his ministry’s job.
Tainan, a location that was already in the rumor mill
The minister’s remarks line up with what Taiwanese media reported nearly two years ago. In February 2025, United Daily News reported, citing unnamed sources, that TSMC was planning a gigafab capable of making 1nm chips in Shalun, in the Tainan area, with room for six 300mm wafer lines — a plan we covered at the time. That report left open the possibility that part of the site could later be devoted to a 0.7nm process. TSMC neither confirmed nor denied it, saying only that choosing a site involves many considerations, that Taiwan is its main base, and that it wasn’t ruling anything out.
What the minister adds now is that the plan has institutional backing and a horizon — 2027 — for beginning to develop the park. That doesn’t mean fabs will be running by 2027: preparing land, water and power for facilities this size usually takes years before the first lithography machine moves in.
Where TSMC stands on its node roadmap
TSMC is already mass-producing 2nm chips, and its next major step is A14, a 1.4nm process the company plans to bring to volume production in 2028, based at Fab 25 in the Central Taiwan Science Park. Reports have circulated in recent months that it could move up part of that timeline, with risk production in 2027 — something the company hasn’t confirmed, and which we already covered when reporting that 1.4nm chips in 2027 still aren’t confirmed. The 1nm node would come after that, and its production date remains unknown.
It’s worth remembering that these are marketing names and no longer correspond to any physical transistor measurement. What matters is the improvement in density, power consumption and performance from one generation to the next, and there TSMC keeps setting the pace for the industry, with advances like the SRAM cell in its A14 node.
Robots and optical communications in the same talk
The minister didn’t speak only about chips. According to Wccftech, he also noted that the robotics industry could open the door for traditional metal, plastics and other materials companies to move into higher-value sectors, a way to extend the pull of the semiconductor industry across the rest of Taiwan’s industrial base. And he said optical communications need to advance to serve applications beyond server racks, a field that AI demand has turned into a priority.
Even so, the most notable part of the talk is what wasn’t said. There’s no official confirmation from TSMC, no investment figures, no number of fabs, and no production date. What there is, is a signal that the government is already laying the groundwork for where next decade’s chips will be made.
Frequently asked questions
Where will TSMC manufacture its 1nm chips?
Taiwan’s science minister has pointed to a new park for 1nm processes in the Tainan Science Park ecosystem. He didn’t name TSMC, and the company hasn’t confirmed it.
When will 1nm production start?
There’s no date. The minister spoke of starting to develop the park in 2027, which isn’t the same as starting production.
Which node comes before 1nm?
A14, at 1.4nm, which TSMC plans to produce at volume in 2028. There are reports of a possible acceleration that the company hasn’t confirmed.
Source: Wccftech, based on United Daily News
This article is also available in Spanish: «Taiwán apunta a Tainan para fabricar chips de 1 nm desde 2027», on revistacloud.com.
