Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA fire at Renesas Electronics’ Naka Factory in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, halted part of the site’s 300mm N3 production line on March 19, 2021. No one was injured and the building itself was not damaged, but utilities and manufacturing equipment were, creating a supply interruption that lasted beyond the physical fire. N3 production restarted at less than 10% of its former capacity on April 17, reached 100% on June 24, and shipments were expected to recover around the third week of July.
What happened at the Renesas fab?
The fire began at 2:47 a.m. Japan Standard Time on March 19, 2021, in plating equipment on the first floor of the N3 Building at Renesas’s Naka Factory. Renesas said the fire was extinguished at 8:12 a.m. that morning.
According to Renesas’s March 22 summary, about 600 square metres burned. That was approximately 5% of the N3 first-floor clean-room area, which Renesas identified as 12,000 square metres. Eleven manufacturing equipment units burned, representing about 2% of N3 equipment.
- No employee casualties were reported.
- No building damage was reported.
- Some utilities, including the pure-water supply and air-conditioning systems, were damaged.
- Manufacturing equipment in the affected area was damaged, requiring cleaning, decontamination, repair and replacement work.
The incident was therefore geographically limited within the factory, but it affected a production line whose products could not all be replaced immediately elsewhere.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
When did the Renesas Naka factory fire happen?
| Date and time | What happened |
|---|---|
| March 19, 2021, 2:47 a.m. JST | Fire started in plating equipment in the N3 Building’s 300mm line. |
| March 19, 2021, 8:12 a.m. JST | Renesas reported the fire extinguished. |
| March 21, 2021 | Renesas identified the equipment area and reported its then-current explanation of the ignition. |
| April 9, 2021 | N3 clean-room operations resumed after cleaning and decontamination. |
| April 17, 2021 | N3 production restarted at just under 10% of pre-fire capacity. |
| June 24, 2021 | N3 production capacity returned to 100% of its pre-fire level. |
| Third week of July 2021 (expected) | Renesas expected product shipments to return to pre-fire levels. |
What caused the Renesas factory fire?
Renesas’s March 21 update said the fire originated in plating equipment. Its description was: “The casing of the equipment and the plating tank have relatively low resistance to heat, and the equipment ignited due to overcurrent.”
That statement describes the reported ignition mechanism, not a confirmed final root-cause finding. In the same update, Renesas said the cause of the overcurrent and the reason the equipment ignited were still under investigation. The available contemporaneous company updates do not establish a later definitive conclusion, so it is more accurate to say that an overcurrent preceded ignition in plating equipment while the underlying cause remained unresolved in those reports.
Which Renesas operations stopped, and which continued?
The N3 Building’s 300mm production stopped temporarily. Renesas reported that the N2 line, which uses 200mm wafers, and the WT wafer-testing building continued operating and shipping.
Renesas also said roughly two-thirds of N3 products had an alternative production route either elsewhere within Renesas or at outside foundries. Those routes could not instantly cover every product because semiconductor demand was already strong and available capacity was constrained.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteRank #2
- 【Material】Crafted from dependable PVC material, this tool bag boasts excellent abrasion resistance, withstanding daily friction and impacts to extend its service life. Its smooth surface facilitates effortless cleaning—a simple wipe with a damp cloth restores its pristine condition
- 【Anti-Static】This engineer's tool bag effectively prevents static electricity generation and accumulation. In cleanroom environments, where static sensitivity is paramount, it prevents dust attraction, damage to precision electronic components, or potential safety hazards, providing reliable electrostatic protection for cleanroom operations
- 【Practical Compartmentalisation】The interior features multiple functional zones and pockets, allowing tools to be organised by size, shape, and usage frequency for neat and orderly storage
- 【Transparent Design】Constructed from fully transparent material, the anti-static tool backpack allows immediate visual confirmation of contents. This eliminates the need for rummaging, enabling rapid identification of tool types and quantities
- 【Versatile Application】PVC dust-free bags find extensive use across industries demanding stringent cleanliness and anti-static standards, including electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals, and optical instrumentation. boratories and pharmaceutical production facilities
| Operation | Status after the fire | Practical implication |
|---|---|---|
| N3, 300mm line | Temporarily halted | Required clean-room recovery, equipment work and a staged production restart. |
| N2, 200mm line | Continued operating | Was not reported as part of the halted line. |
| WT wafer-testing building | Continued operating and shipping | Testing and shipments from that operation continued, according to Renesas. |
| Alternative N3 routes | Available for about two-thirds of N3 products | Could reduce, but not immediately eliminate, the supply gap. |
How long did it take Renesas to recover production after the fire?
Recovery occurred in stages rather than on a single date. Renesas reported that clean-room operations resumed on April 9 after cleaning and decontamination. It credited partner companies and suppliers, with assistance reaching about 1,600 people per day at the peak of the recovery effort.
Production restarted on April 17 at just under 10% of the pre-fire capacity. Renesas’s April 19 update explained that output would be rebuilt progressively. The June 25 update stated that production capacity had returned to 100% of the pre-fire level as of the evening of June 24.
From the fire on March 19 to full production capacity on June 24 was about 97 days. That capacity milestone did not mean customers immediately received normal volumes: wafers and other work-in-process already in the factory still had to complete their manufacturing lead times.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did the Renesas fire affect chip shipments?
Yes. The shutdown affected shipments of products made on the N3 line, even though N2 and WT operations continued shipping and some products could be rerouted.
Rank #3
- Value Set for Cleanrooms: includes a 10-piece cleanroom notebook set for your entire team to work with; Designed for high-stakes environments, these A5 notebooks provide a cost-effective solution without compromising on strict contamination standards; Each notebook features 50 sheets of specialized paper, ensuring you have ample space for data recording while maintaining a lean, portable profile for mobile lab work
- Anti-static Low-particle Construction: engineered with a high-density polypropylene (PP) cover and specialized cleanroom paper, these notebooks are built to minimize fiber and particle generation; The translucent cover offers an inherent antistatic property, protecting sensitive electronic components from ESD events; Ensuring your critical notes remain legible even after accidental chemical exposure
- Versatile Design for Wide Applicability: suitable for documenting experiments in pharmaceutical labs or tracking yields in semiconductor facilities, these A5 notebooks support a range of cleanroom tasks; The compact size fits easily in lab coat pockets or busy workstations; The spiral binding allows the ESD notebook to lay flat or fold back degrees, enabling convenient note-taking in tight spaces
- Zero-metal Spiral for Maximum Purity: traditional metal spirals may oxidize or release particles over time, increasing other risk; This anti static esd lab notebook features a plastic spiral that is non-corrosive and low-shedding, helping maintain cleaner documentation practices and supporting reliable use in cleanroom
- Professional Grade Reliability Support: designed for the demands of industrial and scientific environments, these cleanroom notebooks are manufactured under controlled processes to support cleanroom requirements; Suitable for semiconductor, pharmaceutical, biotech, and research facilities, they help maintain organized, compliant, and consistent data recording in daily operations
Renesas distinguished production capacity from customer shipments. After capacity reached 100% on June 24, the company expected shipment levels to return to pre-fire levels around the third week of July. The lag reflected the time required to finish work-in-process and move completed products through the normal production and delivery cycle.
What financial impact did Renesas estimate?
In March 2021, Renesas estimated that halting N3 could reduce revenue by about ¥17 billion per month. That was a company estimate issued during the disruption, not an audited final loss figure.
On March 30, Renesas presented conditional scenarios of approximately ¥17.5 billion if capacity recovery took 1.5 months and approximately ¥24.0 billion if recovery took two months. Those figures were planning scenarios based on assumed recovery times, not reported realized totals. The later production and shipment milestones should therefore be read separately from the earlier forecasts.
Why the incident mattered beyond the burned area
The fire damaged a relatively small portion of the clean room—about 5% of its first-floor area and about 2% of N3 equipment—but semiconductor manufacturing depends on tightly controlled utilities, contamination-free facilities, specialized tools and long process sequences. Restoring a line requires more than replacing visibly burned equipment: utilities must be stabilized, the room decontaminated, tools qualified and wafers processed through the remaining steps.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
The event also exposed the difference between having an alternative manufacturing route on paper and having enough immediately available capacity to serve every product. Renesas’s estimate that about two-thirds of N3 products had alternatives reduced the potential disruption, but strong demand prevented an instant, complete substitution.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
