The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) and TSMC announced the establishment of the “TSMC-UTokyo Lab” to focus on semiconductor research, education, and talent development. Located on UTokyo’s Asano campus in Hongo, this marks TSMC’s first university collaboration outside Taiwan.
Since 2019, UTokyo and TSMC have worked on 21 research projects in semiconductor technologies. In 2023, UTokyo integrated TSMC’s N16 (FinFET) Academic Design Foster Package (ADFP), a tool for advanced process design education, into its Faculty and Graduate School of Engineering curricula. In April 2025, the two signed a Strategic Industrial/Academic Collaboration Agreement, leading to the lab’s creation and the launch of a Social Cooperation Program at UTokyo.
The lab, managed by UTokyo faculty and staff with directors from both organizations, will research materials, devices, processes, metrology, packaging, and circuit design for practical applications. Research outcomes will support TSMC’s R&D and manufacturing and be presented at UTokyo’s technology symposiums, held since 2019. The lab will also offer TSMC-sponsored project calls and internships.
UTokyo President Teruo Fujii stated that the collaboration aims to address global challenges and nurture future talent through industry-academia partnerships. TSMC’s Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Y.J. Mii, noted that the lab builds on prior collaborations to advance semiconductor knowledge and talent development.
The lab will provide infrastructure for semiconductor design education and hands-on research, aiming to develop talent for the global semiconductor industry. TSMC’s Japan Design Center, Japan 3DIC R&D Center, and Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) will utilize the lab to support talent development and sustainable semiconductor technologies.
The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) and TSMC are collaborating through the Social Cooperation Program to promote the TSMC N16 (FinFET) Academic Design Foster Package (ADFP) for semiconductor education. The ADFP, provided by TSMC to universities worldwide, supports advanced process design education.
The FinFET, or Fin Field Effect Transistor, is a three-dimensional transistor structure resembling a fish fin, replacing planar transistors used since the late 1950s. TSMC introduced FinFET technology with its 16nm process in 2015 and has applied it to processes up to the 3nm node. The ADFP aims to develop next-generation semiconductor talent through UTokyo’s educational initiatives.
