The News
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest chipmaker, announced a $100 billion investment in the US Monday, including plans for five new factories.
TSMC already owns a plant in Arizona, and expanding its American footprint would make the US less reliant on shipments of advanced semiconductors from Asia.
The announcement came after US President Donald Trump accused Taiwan of “stealing” the US chip industry, and threatened tariffs against foreign-made chips.
It’s in Taiwan’s interest to relocate some manufacturing to the US, but not all, “because if they give it all away, then they lose their importance,” a chip expert said.
The TSMC pledge followed similarly large, although sometimes vague, investment pledges from several other big tech companies including Japan’s Softbank and Microsoft.