TSMC Begins 4-Nanometer Chip Production in Arizona

TSMC has begun manufacturing advanced 4-nanometer chips in Arizona for US customers, according to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

In November 2024, the US Department of Commerce finalized a $6.6 billion grant to TSMC's US unit to manufacture semiconductors in Phoenix, Arizona.

TSMC's advanced chip manufacturing plant in Phoenix, Arizona.

"For the first time in history, we are producing advanced 4 nanometer chips on American soil. American workers are working at parity in productivity and quality with Taiwan (China). It's a huge deal that has never happened before, never in our history. A lot of people said it couldn't happen," Raimondo said of the previously undisclosed production of smart chips.

A spokesman for TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to Apple and Nvidia, declined to provide specifics when contacted by Reuters yesterday (January 10).

In April 2024, TSMC agreed to expand its planned investment by $25 billion to $65 billion and add a third plant in Arizona by 2030.

The US Congress has approved a $52.7 billion semiconductor research and manufacturing subsidy program through 2022. The US Department of Commerce has convinced all five of the world's leading semiconductor companies to set up manufacturing plants in the US as part of the program.

Ms. Raimondo previously told Reuters that the US Commerce Department had to spend a lot of effort and time to convince TSMC to promote its production plans in the United States. "It doesn't just happen... We have to convince TSMC that if they want to grow, if they want to expand... then they should open a factory in our country," Ms. Raimondo revealed.

TSMC will manufacture the world's most advanced two-nanometer technology at its second Arizona factory, which is expected to begin production in 2028. TSMC has also agreed to use its most advanced chip manufacturing technology, called "A16," in Arizona.

In addition to the huge government funding, the US Department of Commerce also provided TSMC with a low-cost loan of up to $5 billion to produce advanced chips in the country.

Ms. Raimondo wants the United States to produce 20% of the world's leading logic chips by 2030 — up from 0% before TSMC started manufacturing in Arizona.

In April 2024, the US Department of Commerce said TSMC expected to begin high-volume production at its first US-based factory in the first half of 2025.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce finalized a $407 million grant to help fund Amkor Technology's $2 billion advanced semiconductor packaging facility in Arizona, expected to be the largest of its kind in the United States.

Amkor’s Arizona factory, when fully operational, will package and test millions of chips for autonomous vehicles, 5G/6G, and data centers. Apple will be its first and largest customer, with chips manufactured at a nearby TSMC facility.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tsmc-bat-dau-san-xuat-chip-4-nanomet-tai-arizona-192250111150909416.htm