On September 4, an unexploded World War II bomb was discovered at the construction site of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC)'s new chip factories in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The site, located on the grounds of a former oil refinery, was a frequent target of U.S. bombing during the war, when the island was under Japanese occupation.

According to local reports, the bomb was found around 11:30 a.m. and removed by the Taiwanese military within an hour. It marked the third such discovery at the site, following similar finds in August and November last year. The previous bombs, weighing 1,000 pounds and 500 pounds respectively, were heavily corroded, like the latest device, making identification of their material or batch numbers impossible.

The Kaohsiung site is central to TSMC's advanced manufacturing roadmap. It will host five fabs, designated P1 through P5, with the first plant expected to begin mass production of 2-nanometer chips by year-end. TSMC began equipment installation at P1 late last year, and the P2 fab is also slated to produce 2-nanometer chips. The remaining plants may manufacture 2-nanometer or more advanced products, including those using TSMC's 1.4A process technology.

Authorities confirmed that the newly discovered bomb posed no immediate threat to workers. It has been transferred to storage and will be disposed of in line with standard military procedures.