Samsung plans to build a new chip factory in Japan, and sources say it will receive a subsidy of nearly 15 billion yen.

CTOnews.com, May 17-Samsung Electronics of South Korea plans to set up a new chip factory near Tokyo. According to Reuters sources, Japan is considering providing subsidies worth about 15 billion yen (CTOnews.com Note: currently about 770 million yuan) for the factory.

Samsung will build the facility near its existing R & D center in Yokohama, including its first chip packaging test line in Japan, the Nikkei News reported earlier.

The construction cost of the facility is likely to be about 40 billion yen (currently about 2.052 billion yuan), of which about 1/3 will be subsidized by the Japanese government, the source said. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not made public.

Japan's Ministry of economy, Trade and Industry said it had not made any decision on any subsidies from Samsung and had not received any specific suggestions from the company. Samsung also said it had not made any decision.

It is worth mentioning that TSMC last year spent about 37 billion yen (currently about 1.898 billion yuan) to open a research center in Tsukuba, northeast of Tokyo, which was subsidized by the Japanese government with a subsidy of 19 billion yen (currently about 975 million yuan).