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Amid rumors that the U.S. government is encouraging closer ties between TSMC and Intel Foundry Services (IFS), concerns over potential technology leakage from TSMC continue to draw market attention. During the company’s earnings call, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei firmly states that the company is not engaged in any discussions with other firms regarding joint ventures, technology licensing, technology transfers, or technology sharing.
Wei emphasizes that TSMC is significantly ramping up its investment in the U.S., noting that once the projects are completed, approximately 30% of the company’s 2nm capacity will be based in Arizona, forming an independent advanced manufacturing cluster.
Meanwhile, regarding its 1.4nm and 1.0nm technologies, TSMC says it has not yet decided whether these nodes will be produced in the U.S.
The company emphasizes that the facility will house around 1,000 engineers. When asked whether new node development will take place there, TSMC does not give a direct answer but emphasizes that it is undertaking extensive activities to ensure the semiconductor cluster in the U.S. can operate independently.
TSMC reiterates that its U.S. expansion is primarily driven by customer demand, with particularly strong AI-related demand from major clients such as Apple, NVIDIA, and AMD.
As for its plans in Japan and Dresden, Germany, TSMC confirms that it has no intention of slowing down expansion efforts in these regions. The company emphasizes that its plans for mature-node production remain unchanged. It also notes that construction of the second Kumamoto fab in Japan will begin later this year, although it acknowledges that the facility’s revenue contribution is not particularly significant.
According to CFO Wendell Huang, TSMC’s first fab in Arizona is already in volume production, with yields comparable to those at its facilities in Taiwan. He also notes that the company is accelerating efforts to achieve volume production of 2nm technology at its second fab. As for the planned third and fourth fabs, Huang states that they will use N2 and N16 technologies, and if the permitting process proceeds smoothly, construction is scheduled to begin later this year.
https://www.trendforce.com/news/202...affirms-expansion-plans-in-japan-and-germany/