Taipei: Taiwan-based contract chipmaker Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp. (VIS) announced that a fire at its Taoyuan facility had little impact on operations. The incident occurred late Thursday night, but all on-site personnel were safely evacuated, and production lines remain mostly unaffected.

According to Focus Taiwan, the fire broke out on the top floor of VIS's Fab 3 at 11:28 p.m. Thursday. The Taoyuan Fire Department reported that firefighters managed to control the blaze by 12:14 a.m. Friday and fully extinguished it by 12:21 a.m. The fire spanned approximately 20 square meters on the top floor of the four-story plant, and fortunately, there were no injuries reported.

VIS, in which Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) holds a 19 percent stake, confirmed that the primary facilities, power systems, and production equipment were undamaged. The company reassured that most production lines have resumed normal operations, with staff returning to their positions once safety was ensured.

The chipmaker noted that while some air pollution control equipment and connected systems were impacted, they expect to have these reconnected by the end of the week. VIS is currently investigating the fire's cause and any additional impacts.

VIS operates five eight-inch wafer fabs globally, with four located in Taiwan and one in Singapore. The company plans to produce 3.30 million 8-inch wafers by 2026. According to Taipei-based market advisory firm TrendForce, VIS ranks as the ninth-largest contract chipmaker worldwide, holding a 0.8 percent market share in the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, TSMC leads the industry with a 72.3 percent share.