# TSMC plans to double down on US chip factories (HT Tech)

> TSMC is likely to compete against Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd for subsidies from the US government

# TSMC plans to double down on US chip factories

## TSMC is likely to compete against Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd for subsidies from the US government

May 15 2021, 19:44 IST

![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png)

![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png)

![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png)

![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png)

![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png)

![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png)

![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png)

![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png)

![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png)

![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png)

![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png)

![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png)

![TSMC](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2021/05/15/1600x900/370715114_0-11_1621088000100_1621088030776.jpg)

TSMC (Bloomberg)

![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png)

### By REUTERS

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is weighing plans to pump tens of billions of dollars more into cutting-edge chip factories in the U.S. state of Arizona than it had previously disclosed, but is cool on prospects for an advanced European plant, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

TSMC is the world's most advanced chip-maker, and its investment plans are being closely watched amid a global chip shortage and new initiatives in the U.S. and Europe to subsidize semiconductor production. TSMC announced last year that it would invest $10 billion to $12 billion to build a chip factory in Phoenix.

Reuters this month reported that the previously disclosed factory could be the first of up to six planned plants at the site. Now, company officials are debating whether the next plant should be a more advanced facility that can make chips with so-called 3-nanometer chipmaking technology compared to the slower, less-efficient 5-nanometer technology used for the first factory.

Also read

click here.

The more advanced 3-nanometer plant could cost $23 billion to $25 billion, one person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Details of TSMC's plans for the additional factories at the Arizona site have not been previously reported.

Officials have also sketched out plans for TSMC to make next-generation 2-nanometer and smaller chips as the Phoenix campus is built out over the next 10 to 15 years, the person said.

In building the plants, TSMC is likely to compete against Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd for subsidies from the U.S. government. President Joe Biden has called for $50 billion in funding to support domestic chip manufacturing, and the U.S. Senate could take action on that as early as this week.

Some government officials worry that subsidies for TSMC could help Taiwan, where the company would likely continue to conduct research and development, more than the U.S. But the U.S. subsidy plan does not exclude foreign firms.

Government and industry officials say a strong domestic chip-making sector is critical for the economy and national security. Although U.S. chip firms such as Qualcomm Inc and Nvidia Corp dominate their markets globally, most of their chips are manufactured in Asia.

Intel has also committed to two more new fabrication plants, or fabs, in Arizona, while Samsung is planning a $17 billion factory adjacent to an existing facility in Austin, Texas.

A debate over how to boost chip-making is also playing out in the European Union. Intel has shown serious interest in those efforts, with chief executive Pat Gelsinger pitching a subsidy that could amount to $9 billion for a proposed "Eurofab" during a trip to Brussels last month.

EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton, who has championed the Eurofab idea, also spoke with TSMC's Europe president, Maria Marced, last month. Although Breton publicly called the TSMC talk a "good exchange," a second person familiar with the matter said the TSMC talks in Europe have gone "very poorly."

A TSMC spokeswoman said that the company has not ruled out any possibilities, but that there are no plans for a plant in Europe.

European chip and auto companies, for their part, are mostly lined up against the idea. They would prefer subsidies for the older-generation chips that are heavily used by car manufacturers and are in short supply.

Many of TSMC's most lucrative customers, such as Apple, are U.S.-based, while its European customer base is made up of mostly of automakers buying less-advanced chips. In the first quarter, clients based in Europe and the Middle East only accounted for 6% of TSMC's revenue, far outpaced by the by 67% of sales from North America and 17% from Asia Pacific.

Sources said TSMC has not ruled out building an older-generation chip plant in Europe to serve auto customers.

POACHING FROM INTEL

TSMC this year hired Benjamin Miller, a 25-year Intel veteran, as its head of human resources in Arizona. The company says that it has hired 250 engineers there and that about 100 of them, along with their families, have been sent to Tainan, Taiwan, where they will complete a 12- to 18-month training program before returning to Arizona.

TSMC declined to comment on specific details of its Arizona plans, but its Chief Executive CC Wei last month said that "further expansion is possible" after an initial phase. He said the company would gauge efficiency at the site and customer demand and decide on the next steps.

TSMC chairman and founder Morris Chang warned last month of higher operating costs and a thin talent pool for the U.S. plans in a rare public speech attended by Wei and chairman Mark Liu.

"In the United States, the level of professional dedication is no match to that in Taiwan, at least for engineers," Chang said. He warned that "short-term subsidy can't make up for long-term operational disadvantage."

TSMC's first Arizona factory will be relatively small, with a projected output of 20,000 wafers - 12-inch silicon discs that can each contain thousands of chips - per month. By contrast, TSMC's "gigafabs" in Taiwan can produce 100,000 wafers per month.

But TSMC leaders are taking a long view, starting with mature technology and ramping up volume while gradually introducing the most advanced processes, a third person familiar with the matter said. Like the others, the person declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

“You just don’t go into Phoenix, 10,000 miles away, and start fabricating on the leading edge,” the person said. Refile: This story adds dropped 'the' and deletes repeated words in paragraph 3, adds dropped 'over' in paragraph 5, changes 'subsides' to 'subsidies' in paragraph 6, removes extra comma in paragraph 18, fixes typo in dateline.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

15 May, 19:44 IST

tsmc

![HT Tech Awards](https://tech.hindustantimes.com/ht-tech-power-list-awards-2026/httech-awards-banner-new.webp)

### Related Stories

29 Sept 2026

71,621,087,132,144

NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS

![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png)

## Tips & Tricks

![Ghibli-style art](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/03/28/414x233/ChatGPT_Ghibli_style_images_1743161814450_1743161814596.jpg)

### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide

![How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/14/414x233/invites_1738728829564_1739543695649.png)

### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide

![Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/13/414x233/unnamed_1739426557335_1739426567634.jpg)

### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it

![Vodafone Idea OTT plans](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how

![Android data transfer methods](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more

## Editor’s Pick

![iPhone 16e launched with A18 chip, Apple AI—bringing flagship power on a budget: Check specs, price](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple

![DeepSeek was founded in China with only a fraction of the budget of the top AI companies in the US.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained

![iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on

![Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini

![iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update

## Trending Stories

![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order

![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC

![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more

![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report

![CMF Buds 2](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside

keep up with tech

![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png)

![Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-twitter.png)

![WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-whatsApp.png)

![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png)

## Gaming

![Check out these five gaming monitors under  <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>20,000,](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider

![gaming consoles](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off

![Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges

![Shade Silver](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it

![Call of duty](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png)

### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak

![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png)

## Trending News

### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order

![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif)

### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC

![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif)

### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more

![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif)

### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report

![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif)

### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside

![CMF Buds 2](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif)

## Trending Gadgets

Mobiles

Laptops

Tablets

![HT Tech](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HT_tech-new.gif)

- https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/tsmc-plans-to-double-down-on-us-chip-factories-71621087132144.html