臺灣芯片製造商將在南京獨資建廠

As many of its competitors in the chip industry form partnerships in China, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing said on Monday that it was taking a different route: setting up a new manufacturing plant without help from a local partner.

雖然臺積電(TSMC)在芯片業的很多競爭對手都在中國大陸建立了夥伴關係，但該公司本週一表示，它將採取另外一種做法：不與當地夥伴合作，而是獨立修建一家新的製造廠。

The move is designed to protect its technology while playing to a China market brimming with makers of inexpensive smartphones. It is charting a course between keeping complex chip production facilities outside China and licensing technology to Chinese partners.

這樣做的目的是既保護自己的技術，同時又靠近充斥着廉價智能手機制造商的中國市場。一些公司堅持將複雜的芯片生產設施設在中國境外，另一些則向中國合作伙伴提供技術授權，臺積電則選擇了兩者之間的第三條途徑。

In an announcement Monday, Taiwan Semiconductor said it had submitted an application to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs to invest in an advanced chip production facility in Nanjing, China. The total value of the investment is expected to be about $3 billion, though a spokesman for the company said it expected to save money by using equipment from facilities in Taiwan and capitalizing on Chinese subsidies.

在本週一的聲明中，臺積電表示已經向臺灣經濟部提交申請，擬在南京投資興建一家先進的芯片製造廠。投資總額預計約爲30億美元，不過該公司發言人表示，他們會使用來自臺灣工廠的設備，並利用大陸政府提供的補貼，因此預計會節省一些資金。

In a nod to concerns about advanced chip protection technology being leaked to Chinese competitors, Taiwan Semiconductor said in a separate statement that by the time the facility in China is up and running, an advanced operation in Taiwan would be churning out chips a generation more sophisticated.

針對先進芯片技術可能會被泄露給中國競爭對手的擔憂，臺積電在另一則聲明中說，當這家新工廠在大陸啓動運行的時候，臺灣的一處先進設施會大量產出更精密的新一代芯片。

The company added that it “comprehensively protects its proprietary information” and, in referring to its fabrication plant, emphasized that it would “have whole ownership of the fab in China, which will help protect our intellectual property rights.”

臺積電還表示將“對自己的專有資料進行全面保護”。在提及這家新廠時，公司強調自己“全資擁有大陸這家工廠，這將有助於保護我們的知識產權”。

Taiwan Semiconductor’s approach stands in contrast to some of its rivals and partners in chip making. With the Chinese government set to spend tens of billions of dollars to build its chip industry, many foreign companies have been setting up partnerships and licensing technology in China.

臺積電的做法與芯片製造業的一些競爭對手和合作夥伴形成了鮮明對比。隨着中國政府開始投入數以百億美元計的資金，建立自己的芯片產業，很多外國公司都已經與中國建立了合作關係，將技術授權給中方。

During the past year, Qualcomm has partnered with the Chinese chip maker Semiconductor Manufacturing International to develop advanced chip production; Intel has invested in a subsidiary of China’s new national chip champion, Tsinghua Unigroup; and IBM has licensed some of its chip technology to a smaller Chinese partner.

過去一年裏，高通(Qualcomm)與中國芯片製造商中芯國際(Semiconductor Manufacturing International)合作開發先進芯片生產；中國新的國家級芯片龍頭企業清華紫光集團的一個子公司獲得了英特爾(Intel)的投資；IBM也已經將一些芯片技術授權給了一家較小的中國合作伙伴。

As new links have grown, so, too, have concerns. In the United States, politicians and defense analysts say they are worried about Chinese theft of technology or advantages gained by close cooperation in the semiconductor industry. Advanced chip technology powers supercomputers that are used to manage defense systems, research new weapons and model things like nuclear detonations.

隨着新的關係日益建立，一些人的顧慮也在增加。美國政界人士和防務分析人士表達了擔憂，認爲中國可能會通過密切合作而竊取技術或取得競爭優勢。先進芯片技術可以爲超級計算機提供動力，後者可用於管理防務系統、研發新型武器、模擬核爆炸等任務。

With an economy still based heavily on the chip supply chain, Taiwan’s government has also been particularly careful about allowing its most advanced semiconductor firms, like Taiwan Semiconductor, to cooperate closely with China.

芯片供應鏈仍然是臺灣經濟的重要支柱，因此，對於是否批准臺積電這樣的頂尖半導體公司與大陸開展密切合作，臺灣政府也特別謹慎。

Still, the recent spending spree by the Chinese government and chip companies has made a major impression on the island, and people in the industry in Taiwan acknowledge that the Chinese market is critical. For example, in its statement Taiwan Semiconductor said more than 50 percent of its revenue over the past five years had come from Chinese customers.

然而，中國大陸的政府和芯片公司最近的投資熱潮給臺灣留下了深刻印象，臺灣業內人士也承認大陸市場非常重要。例如臺積電就在聲明中表示，過去五年裏，該公司收入的50%以上都來自於大陸客戶。