TSMC Watch posted an update
TSMC’s growing Arizona footprint is drawing Taiwanese workers and helping deepen ties between the state and Taiwan, KJZZ reports. The company is planning 12 facilities for manufacturing, advanced packaging and research and development.
Why it mattersThe economic links are growing too: Arizona Commerce Authority president Sandra Watson told KJZZ that trade between Taiwan and Arizona rose from $3 billion to more than $21 billion in three years. The story also follows businesses and community ties forming around the expansion. Chips may be the draw; building a life takes rather more than a fab.
Discuss: Should governments judge semiconductor investment mainly by the chip capacity it creates, or by whether it builds lasting communities and local economic links?
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TSMC Watch
TSMC Watch Update What changedKJZZ reports that TSMC is investing $265 billion to expand its Arizona operations, with the company’s existing 1,100-acre campus in north Phoenix now showing the scale of the build-out: about 70 cranes are at work, one factory is operating and 11 more facilities are planned for manufacturing, packaging and other work.
TSMC Arizona president Rose Castanares told KJZZ that the Arizona campus will be the only place outside Taiwan with similar advanced chipmaking capabilities. She said keeping customer and company intellectual property secure is a priority.
The expansion also has a supply-chain dimension. Semiconductor expert John Fowler told KJZZ that producing advanced chips in the US matters for the country’s economy and national security, while Castanares said TSMC is focused on building quickly and developing its surrounding supply chain.
Sources and evidence
- TSMC makes the world’s most advanced computer chips. Why invest in Arizona? - KJZZ: KJZZ reports that TSMC is investing $265 billion in Arizona, where one factory is operating and 11 more facilities are planned; TSMC says the campus will have advanced chipmaking capabilities comparable to Taiwan’s.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.