Kumamoto: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has scheduled a board meeting in Kumamoto on Monday, marking the first time the world's largest contract chipmaker will hold such a meeting in Japan, a source close to the event said on Thursday.According to Focus Taiwan, Yeh Chun-hsien, head of the National Development Council and a representative of the government as an institutional board director of TSMC, will travel to Kumamoto to attend the meeting. The board meeting in Kumamoto has been planned by TSMC after C.C. Wei, chairman and CEO of the company, met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier on Thursday.In the meeting, Wei revealed plans to produce advanced 3 nanometer chips in TSMC's second fab in Kumamoto to meet the growing global demand for AI technology. TSMC began mass production at its first plant in Kumamoto in late 2024, with support from Japanese companies including Sony and Toyota. The second fab, still under construction, was initially intended to produce 6- to 12-nm chips, which are considerably less advanced than the 3nm process. The facility is scheduled to begin production in late 2027.Japanese news reports highlighted Prime Minister Takaichi's reaction to TSMC's updated plans, describing the developments as "thrilling" and expressing the government's willingness to provide financial support to realize the project. Yomiuri Shimbun reported TSMC's increased investment in the second fab, which now totals US$17 billion, up from the initial US$12.2 billion.Responding to TSMC's strategy to produce 3nm chips in Kumamoto, Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin stated on Thursday that the chipmaker had strategically planned its global investments to accommodate the needs of its clients. Amid the ongoing AI boom, Kung noted that TSMC's investment plans could adapt to changing market conditions. He reassured that despite the company's overseas expansion, TSMC is unlikely to reduce its investments in Taiwan and is expected to increase funding in the local marke t.