TSMC's Kumamoto Plant 1 resumes production after magnitude-7.1 quake

TSMC's Kumamoto Plant 1 in Japan, which suspended operations following a magnitude-7.1 earthquake last month, has returned to normal production.

According to Kyodo News and other outlets, TSMC said Plant 1 in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture resumed full production Monday. The company had halted operations after the powerful quake struck the Kumamoto area on July 28 to inspect and recalibrate its manufacturing equipment.

According to TSMC, the plant recorded a lower-5 seismic intensity on the Japan Meteorological Administration scale — strong enough to topple furniture. The structural safety of the factory building was confirmed on the day of the earthquake, but it took several days to assess the impact of the strong shaking on semiconductor production equipment.

Construction work on Plant 2, which the company is building near Plant 1, has also resumed.

TSMC also announced via its official X account that it would donate 250 million yen ($1.59 million) to support earthquake relief efforts in Kumamoto.

When a major earthquake struck the region in 2016, it took several months for semiconductor production facilities there to return to normal operations. Recovery this time has proceeded comparatively smoothly.

Tokyo Electron, a major Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer, fully resumed operations at its two factories in Kumamoto Prefecture on Monday.

Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing, which produces image sensors and other components for Sony Group, began a phased restart of its key Kumamoto Technology Center on Tuesday and plans to restore output to pre-earthquake levels by mid-August, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

The Kawashiri plant of Renesas Electronics, a maker of automotive microcontroller units, is also expected to resume operations Wednesday.

The Asahi Shimbun said that during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, the epicenter was close to semiconductor manufacturing plants and intensity-7 shaking struck twice within two days, whereas this time the epicenter was relatively far from major semiconductor facilities and intensity-7 shaking occurred only once — factors that allowed for a faster recovery.

Analysts also pointed to lessons learned from 2016, when production stoppages lasting several months caused significant losses. Since then, the region's semiconductor industry has strengthened earthquake-resistant design and put in place business continuity plans to accelerate recovery, which appear to have paid off.