The expansion of TSMC’s chip factories in Arizona is not going according to plan, but the company claims that the second factory will be able to produce TSMC’s 2nm chips in the US from 2028 onwards. Until now, only the production of 3 nm chips was discussed in this facility.
Despite the announced plans, TSMC has announced that production of 2nm chips in Arizona may be delayed to 2029 or 2030.
TSMC’s announcement to build a chip manufacturing plant in Arizona was hailed as a major victory for the US CHIPS Act (a law that aims to free the US from dependence on China for the supply of advanced chips and create jobs for American workers). Apple has announced that it will buy US-made chips for some of its devices.
The luster of the TSMC project in Arizona soon began to fade. The factory will only be able to make chips with a larger process, which is only suitable for older Apple devices. TSMC called for more subsidies and less regulation.
The project to build TSMC’s factory in Arizona is running behind schedule and costs more than planned, and the start of production from 2024 has been postponed to 2025.
There has been talk of US-made chips being more expensive than Taiwan-made chips, which may mean Apple is buying fewer US-made chips than expected.
The employment trend of TSMC’s new factory in the United States, with the hiring of 500 Taiwanese workers for this factory, has been called into question. Half of the company’s hiring was from Taiwanese workers, and the American workers filed a lawsuit in response.
TSMC maintains the most advanced chip manufacturing plant in Taiwan, and the US factories are only supposed to produce chips with a larger production process for older devices.
Apparently, according to TSMC’s plan, the Arizona factory is supposed to be about 3 to 5 years behind the company’s main factory in Taiwan. As a result, the Arizona plant will be able to produce 2nm chips in 2028. According to rumors, Apple plans to use 2nm chips in the iPhone 17 series.
Information provided by TSMC to the US Department of Commerce indicates that production of the 2nm process in the US is expected to begin in 2028.
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TSMC’s plan to manufacture its 2nm process in the US has attracted a lot of attention. Wu Chengwenthe minister of Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council, recently noted that TSMC’s timeline for bringing 2nm technology to the U.S. is likely to be in 2028, and may be pushed back to 2029 or 2030.
The United States has provided up to $6.6 billion in financial aid to TSMC under the CHIPS Act to support construction of the Arizona plants. The first of these factories is expected to start producing 4nm chips for older Apple devices in the first half of 2025. TSMC’s second factory will produce 2nm chips.
