According to Nikkei Asia, in order to expand the supply of key semiconductor materials for high-end chip manufacturing, Shin-Etsu Chemical plans to invest about 30 billion yen (approximately US$285 million) to increase its semiconductor photoresist production capacity by 20%.

The report pointed out that Shin-Etsu Chemical's investment will be used for the construction of a new plant. Among them, the new plant in Taiwan is expected to start production of photoresist compatible with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology in February 2021 to meet the needs of Apple supply chain customers such as TSMC.

In addition, its new plant in Niigata Prefecture, Japan will start operations in February 2022. As the number of employees increases, production capacity in Taiwan region and Japan will increase by 60% and 20%, respectively.

According to the report, Shin-Etsu Chemical's expansion of production capacity will not only meet the needs of local customers where the factory is located, but also meet the needs of customers in South Korea, Mainland China and other markets.