TSMC delays second Arizona chip foundry
TSMC, the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world, will delay the opening of the second of its two US-based foundries, the company announced today during its quarterly earnings call.
The first such foundry, announced in 2020, has already been delayed past its initial opening date of late 2024 — thanks, in part, to labor disputes over safety issues, workers imported from overseas, and workforce development programs. The labor dispute was resolved in December after the company reached an agreement with local unions, but TSMC had already pushed the initial production date for that facility to 2025.
The second foundry, whose opening was delayed today, is designed to produce some of the company’s most advanced chips, which use a 3nm process. TSMC has said it expects a wide range of uses for the chips, including high-performance computing and automotive customers. In an earnings call early Thursday, TSMC Chair Mark Liu said the second facility is still under construction, but the process and production to take place there is now uncertain.