TSMC US fab largely a political move?

Posted on Wednesday, May 20 2020 @ 12:06 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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EE Times offers some insight behind the politics of TSMC's decision to build a 5nm plant in the US. The site spoke to Dick Thurston, TSMC’s former general counsel, and got to hear that the Taiwanese foundry had been considering a US-based fab for more than a decade. However, the article portrays the move as having largely political reasons, basically as a way to get the US government to relax current restrictions (and possibly avoid future restrictions):
Besides Thurston, other people see the TSMC fab deal as a chance to get preferential treatment from the United States allowing continued sales of chips to HiSilicon, the semiconductor design arm of Huawei.
TSMC denies politics played a part in the project:
“This is really a business decision for TSMC, it’s not political. The reason we chose Arizona was supply-chain readiness,” Nina Kao, TSMC’s assistant spokesperson, told EE Times. “It provided us more investment options.”
Thurston also believes the decision to set up shop in Arizona is a way to support a state run by a Republican governor, to please the Trump administration. The lawyer previously helped TSMC to evaluate other locations, and believes New York, Oregon, and Washington were comparable, if not better, options than Arizona.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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