Advanced Substrate Technologies (AST), a joint venture between US chipmaker Broadcom and Japan’s Toppan Holdings, has opened a substrate manufacturing plant in Singapore.

The company says the facility is the first in the country capable of producing high-end flip chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) substrates.

Located in the Jurong Lake District, the plant spans around 95,000m2 and is meant to meet demand from generative AI and data centres in the region.

The plant will produce large-body, high-layer-count FC-BGA substrates for AI compute, networking, and high-performance computing devices.

The site incorporates solar panels and water recycling systems, and houses research and development facilities linked with local technology institutions.

Investment Monitor has contacted AST for details on the value of the investment.

Singapore's Economic Development Board and JTC Corporation, the government's lead statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, backed the project.

For Toppan, the plant is its first facility of this kind outside Japan. It will sit alongside the group's main production hub in Niigata, Japan.

According to a statement, “the milestone comes as demand for advanced substrate capacity, a persistent bottleneck for AI, networking, and next-generation computing chips, continues to outpace global supply”.

AST plans to begin high-value manufacturing by late 2026 and will work with Toppan and Broadcom to increase output as demand grows.

AST CEO Yoshiyuki Iida said: “AST’s ability to deliver large-body, high-layer-count substrates at Toppan's exacting standard is helping meet a real bottleneck in AI and networking chip production.

“We are grateful for the longstanding support and partnership of the Singapore government in this venture. This investment reflects both Toppan and Broadcom’s long-term commitment to Singapore as a critical hub in our global manufacturing network and strengthens the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain.”