TSMC has opened a joint research lab with the University of Tokyo in Japan, the company's first such collaboration with an academic institute outside of Taiwan, amid ongoing concerns over the Trump administration's attitude to foreign tech firms. The world's largest semiconductor contract manufacturer announced the opening this week of the TSMC-UTokyo Lab, saying it will build on the extensive knowledge, experience, and creativity of the two organizations to advance semiconductor research and foster skills. Taiwan's tech firms such as TSMC have sought closer ties with Asian neighbors since the inauguration of the Trump administration and its open hostility to foreign technology firms The lab is sited on Tokyo University's Asano campus in the Hongo district of the city, managed by faculty staff but overseen by directors from both TSMC and the uni, serving as a central hub for strategic collaboration.