Shipped from Taiwan, Assembled in the US

[prime007]

There's news in Taiwan that TSMC is rumored to be shipping parts (the clean room is specifically mentioned) of its new US plant via cargo freight. The second linked article states that the "Made and Shipped from Taiwan, Assembled in the US" model costs 20-30% lower than directly sourcing from the US. It's estimated that $143 million would be saved using this method.

Taiwan's TSMC to ship pieces of its new US plant via cargo freight | Taiwan News | Aug. 23, 2021 12:35

Various Taiwanese shipping giantsrumored to be involved | Aug. 23, 2021 12:35

www.taiwannews.com.tw

A Look Into TSMC’s New Cost-Saving Model That Sustains Its Global Expansion

In a bid to lower the cost of establishing its Arizona fab, TSMC has come up with a unique model to [...]

techtaiwan.com

 

[hist78]

Another interesting approach I heard is TSMC will offer 50% of the saving to a supplier who proposed a successful way to cut down the cost.

I have to admit it requires a lot of trust between TSMC and its suppliers.

 

[count]

This is a common approach in other capex intensive industries such as oil and gas. Major equipment modules are manufactured in Asia and shipped to North America where they are put together like Lego.