A global semiconductor giant says that it will ramp up its previously announced U.S. manufacturing expansion faster than expected, without other companies or partners.
Building a Second and Third Hub
Nikkei reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. now intends to begin production at a second plant in Arizona at least “a couple” of quarters before its original target of 2028. The company also plans to begin construction of a third plant in the area later this year, although a timeline for that project remains unclear.
TSMC said that the Arizona complex would produce about 30% of its overall output of advanced 2-nanometer chips.
An "Independent” Chip Campus
Officials added that TSMC intends to develop an "independent” semiconductor production cluster and will not share its technology or partner with outside companies.
Recent reports indicated that TSMC had talked with U.S. chipmaker Intel about a possible joint venture, but C.C. Wei, the company’s chairman and CEO, said recently that it is not engaged in discussions about any joint ventures, technology licensing, or other tech “transfer and sharing.”
Tariff-Related Risks Loom
Wei added that demand for chips used in artificial intelligence applications remains strong and that customer behavior has not changed in the wake of recent tariff hikes, but those conditions could shift moving forward. Nikkei noted that analysts suggested that export restrictions, tariff-related price hikes, and competition from China’s DeepSeek could hinder the AI tech market.
Image credit: aslysun/Shutterstock
