Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has broken ground on its Advanced Semiconductor R&D Center at its headquarters campus in Hsinchu, marking a new phase in Taiwan’s semiconductor development strategy. The facility will feature the country’s first 12-inch advanced pilot line established by a research institution.
The center is being jointly developed by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, National Development Council, and National Science and Technology Council. It is designed to lower verification barriers for small and mid-sized IC design firms and startups. By bridging laboratory research and industrial commercialization, the project aims to accelerate time-to-market for emerging semiconductor technologies.
Scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, the center will provide three core functions: innovative IC design verification, advanced process development, and localized validation of materials and equipment. In addition to the 12-inch pilot line, upgraded 8-inch facilities will form an integrated platform linking chip design, manufacturing, packaging, and testing.
Officials say the center will enable deployment of next-generation technologies, including AI chips, silicon photonics, quantum computing components, ASICs, 3D integration, and advanced memory. It will also provide 28–90 nm back-end-of-line process R&D and pilot production services. ITRI estimates the platform could shorten product development cycles by approximately 30%.
Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Kung Ming-hsin, noted that semiconductor and AI industries were key drivers behind the nation’s 8.36% economic growth last year. He emphasized that the new facility will support SMEs through small-scale, diversified, and specialized chip prototyping services. The center will operate as a one-stop service platform spanning design through testing, while allowing materials and equipment suppliers to conduct on-site demonstrations and validation.
