When manufacturing processing chips for the use of various technology companies, the three main materials that are important include water supply, liquid gas and even semiconductor wafers.
If previously semiconductor wafers were an issue due to the sand and silica supply chain being blocked due to the COVID-19 outbreak, now neon liquid gas is a big problem due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
TSMC, the largest manufacturer of semiconductor components and processing chips in the world recently announced that they want to develop their own noble gas supply chain, specifically neon gas for use in manufacturing their clients' processing chips.
For this, they have discussed with a number of gas supply companies to see if it can be done in Taiwan or not. Neon gas in particular is quite difficult to produce on a large scale because neon gas is a byproduct of steelmaking.
TSMC also said that the plan to develop this supply chain will take around three to five years because of the expertise and equipment required to produce this precious gas.
However, when this plan is completed, TSMC is expected to be able to develop various types of semiconductor components without having to worry about raw material supply issues.