Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) is planning to build several more chipmaking factories in the U.S. state of Arizona beyond the one currently planned. In May 2020, TSMC announced they would build a $12 billion factory in Arizona. This was a win for the Trump administration to bring global tech supply chains back from China.
TSMC is setting up a 12-inch wafer fabrication plant in Phoenix, and the facility is expected to start volume production in 2024. The first plant had a planned output of 20,000 wafers per month using 5-nanometer technology. Five additional fabs for Arizona are being planned.
The new plan is to nearly triple investment in Arizona fabs from $12 billion to $35 billion. This will increase production to 100,000 wafers per month.
The land for the Arizona facilities are about two square miles.
The new expansion might be partially motivated by a risk reduction move in case of Taiwan-China tensions.
IF Taiwan and China had tensions, then two planeloads of key personnel from TSMC would be able to fly out and continue and expand operations from Arizona.
China would have to capture TSMC fabs in Taiwan with no damage to key EUV equipment. Intel has access to the same EUV equipment but is not able to use them as well as TSMC.
TSMC makes about 2.7 million wafers per month [in 200mm wafer equivalents, 300mm wafer is 1.76 times larger than a 200mm wafer] from all facilities.
TSMC has the following fabs in operation as of 2020:
Four 300 mm “GIGAFABs” in operation in Taiwan: Fab 12 (Hsinchu), 14 (Tainan), 15 (Taichung), 18 (Tainan)
Four 200 mm wafer fabs in full operation in Taiwan: Fab 3, 5, 8 (Hsinchu), 6 (Tainan)
TSMC China Company Limited, 200 mm: Fab 10 (Shanghai)
TSMC Nanjing Company Limited, 300 mm: Fab 16 (Nanjing)
WaferTech LLC, TSMC’s wholly-owned US subsidiary, a 200 mm fab: Fab 11 (Camas, Washington)
SSMC (Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Co.), a joint venture with NXP Semiconductors in Singapore, 200 mm, where production started at the end of 2002
One 150 mm wafer fab in full operation in Taiwan: Fab 2 (Hsinchu)
Fab partially online as of 2021:
Fab 18, 300 mm (Tainan), phase 3 and 4
Fab planned as of 2020:
Arizona, USA
TSMC has four Backend Fabs under operation: Fab 1 (Hsinchu), 2 (Tainan), 3 (Taoyuan City), and 5 (Taichung)
SOURCES- Market Screener, Wikipedia, EE News Europe, United Daily News
Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com
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"TSMC fabs in Taiwan with no damage to key EUV equipment" Much of that equipment was made in the Netherlands by chipmaking equipment company ASML.
Two things at play here.
1. Taiwan moving its valuable assets out of the country in case china attacks.
2. USA trying to in-source its supply chains, and Taiwan getting ahead of it so it won't be left out in the cold.
Water usage may be a show stopper though, those fabs use enormous amounts of water.
I was just going to point out that the Cerebras CS-1 and 2 are made by Taiwon, in Taiwon. If China takes over, there goes a lot of chip making! In fact, it could be reason why China wants to end Taiwon . . .
People talk about China invading Taiwan and just the sea navigation issues. They seem to forget how many chips and the technology that would be lost of Taiwan was captured. How long if ever would it take to start making these chips outside Taiwan.