Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. will select a supplier for drone-based safety systems by the fourth quarter, concluding nearly a year of negotiations as the world’s largest contract chipmaker addresses staffing challenges and artificial intelligence demands.
The company is reportedly planning to introduce a drone-based system for safety inspections, including fire safety and perimeter patrols around its facilities, with sources citing the report suggest that vendors with prior collaboration or facility construction experience with TSMC are more likely to be selected.
Vice President Chuang Tzu-shou, who oversees facilities management, is leading the initiative. Multiple domestic and international suppliers have been in discussions with TSMC, including Marketech International and Thunder Tiger. Sailux Holdings subsidiary Adachip Technology has shown particular interest in securing the contract.
The automation drive reflects broader industry concerns about declining birthrates reducing the available workforce. Each drone unit costs approximately NT$1 million (US$31,000), with the company planning to procure at least 100 units across its gigafabrication facilities in Taiwan and potentially its Arizona operations.
TSMC’s gigafabs cover areas equivalent to four conventional semiconductor plants, making traditional safety patrols resource-intensive. The drone systems will monitor for anomalies while industrial processes continue operating, eliminating the need to shut down equipment for routine safety inspections.
The initiative represents Taiwan’s first major industrial deployment of drones for workplace safety and firefighting applications. TSMC’s drone system will reportedly be deployed first at its Arizona facility in the U.S., where desert conditions and vast site areas make human patrols particularly challenging.
Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei recently emphasized that artificial intelligence demand remains genuine, citing the company’s collaboration with virtually all AI innovators. He noted that internal AI applications have already improved production efficiency by 1%, representing approximately NT$10 billion (US$310 million) in value creation.
The technology deployment extends beyond manufacturing optimization into facility management, demonstrating how semiconductor leaders are integrating AI-powered systems across operations rather than limiting applications to production lines.
