Electronics Weekly
Volume production in Arizona is expected to start early next year. Originally it was planned for this year after construction started in 2021, but delays caused by a lack of construction workers and engineers and alleged cultural clashes caused a slippage.
Hundreds of Taiwanese engineers and their families have been relocated to Phoenix and hundreds of US engineers have been sent to Taiwan for training.
“Our first fab entered engineering wafer production in April with 4-nanometer process technology, and the result is highly satisfactory, with a very good yield,” TSMC C.C.Wei said last week, adding, “we now expect volume production of our first fab to start in the beginning of 2025, and are confident to deliver the same level of manufacturing quality and reliability from our fab in Arizona as from our fabs in Taiwan.”
TSMC is to get $6.6 billion in funding under the US Chips Act plus a 25% tax credit on infrastructure capital expenditure and loans of up to $5 billion.
In total TSMC plans to invest $65 billion in the Arizona site with its second fab running a 2nm process based on nanosheet transistors starting production in 2028 and a third fab running 2nm and better processes by 2030.
All three fabs will employ 6,000 people and create jobs for 20,000 construction workers.
