TSMC, Arizona Plant 2 completion…Breaking ground on Plant 3 site

TSMC Expanding Semiconductor Production Base In The U.S. (Source: TSMC)

TSMC, The world's largest semiconductor foundry company, has completed a second plant at a large-scale semiconductor complex under development in Phoenix, Arizona, And has begun site preparation for a third plant. This is interpreted as a strategy to strengthen the semiconductor production base in the U.S. despite the high tariff policies of the Trump administration.

According to local media reports, Plant 1 (P1), which has been producing wafers with 4-nanometer processes since the end of last year, Aims to produce 20,000 wafers per month by the end of this year. The completed Plant 2 (P2) is preparing for cleanrooms and various equipment installation, while Plant 3 (P3) is currently undergoing site preparation work. Officials expect that Plant 3 could also start full-scale construction as early as the second half of this year.

TSMC anticipates that the construction speed for P2 and P3 will increase based on prior P1 construction experience, and the trial production schedule may also be advanced from the original plan. The Arizona local plant spans a total area of 445 hectares, and after the completion of production lines from P1 to P3, the establishment of an advanced packaging plant is also being discussed.

TSMC has been pursuing the expansion of production in the U.S. since the end of last year in response to the rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. In particular, discussions for establishing a joint venture with the U.S. semiconductor company Intel are also ongoing.

Meanwhile, the upcoming TSMC's first-quarter earnings announcement on the 17th is drawing attention to whether there will be remarks about how President Trump's high tariff policies on China affect the global semiconductor supply chain and the company's profitability. The most precise semiconductor mass production technology commercialized so far in the world is at the 3-nanometer level, and TSMC plans to further expand the global technological gap through U.S. production.