Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM) plans a three-hectare advanced packaging equipment and materials joint R&D verification hub at Kaohsiung’s Baipu Industrial Park, while ASE Technology will build two plants focused on CoWoS, PLP, and related technologies. The hub will include modular process-verification lines and a talent training center, with TSMC expecting validation efficiency gains of 25% to 50%. TSMC said CoWoS capacity could grow at an annual rate exceeding 80% through 2027, with strong AI demand potentially extending the growth trend through 2029. The company is also developing silicon photonics, co-packaged optics, 3DFabric packaging, and integrated AI systems as data-center infrastructure expands. TSMC shares fell 1.25% to $408.82 in Wednesday’s premarket session after an 81.27% 12-month gain, amid broader weakness in growth-focused stocks. Baipu Industrial Park covers approximately 88.73 hectares, including about 53 hectares for industrial use, and development is expected to begin this month. The expansion is strengthening North Kaohsiung’s semiconductor cluster and drawing attention to Qiaotou New Town and the Kaohsiung University Special District as potential residential beneficiaries.