TSMC’s US Fab Reportedly Eyeing for Early Mass Production
It’s reported that TSMC’s new fab in Arizona, USA, is rushing to conduct the trial production of its first production line by mid-April and aims to complete all preparations for mass production by the end of this year. According to a report from the Economic Daily News, if everything goes smoothly, there is a chance that the original schedule for mass production in the first half of 2025 at the new US fab could be advanced to the end of 2024.
Regarding these rumors, TSMC stated on April 1st that the progress of the Arizona fab is proceeding according to plan, and for relevant information, please refer to the company’s official announcements.
TSMC is scheduled to hold an earnings call on April 18th, and ahead of the conference, positive news has emerged regarding the new US fab. It is anticipated that the related topics will also be the focus of attention on the day of the conference.
In the previous earnings call, TSMC announced its plan for the new US fab to commence mass production using the 4-nanometer process in the first half of 2025. Per Economic Daily News‘ report, the company believes that once this fab begins operations, it will be able to provide manufacturing quality and reliability on par with its Taiwan fabs in Arizona.
Industry sources cited by the report suggest that TSMC’s new fab in the United States is racing to complete the setup of its first production line by mid-April and commence trial production. Based on estimations of around 6.5 months from trial production to mass production, with an additional month for verification, there’s a chance that all preparations for mass production could be completed by the end of this year.
Taking stock of TSMC’s presence in the United States, the company currently operates an 8-inch fab in Camas, Washington, and has design centers in Austin, Texas, and San Jose, California. The new fab in Arizona will serve as TSMC’s second production base in the United States.
TSMC’s new fab construction in the United States faced labor shortage issues, which previously led to the announcement of a delay in the production schedule until 2025. However, TSMC has been making efforts to improve the problems encountered in the new fab and is seeking the maximum official subsidy support. Earlier report from Bloomberg indicated that TSMC’s new US fab could potentially secure over USD 5 billion in subsidies from the US government, but the relevant proposal has not been finalized.
TSMC announced the expansion of its investment in the new US fab in December 2022. Construction of the second phase of the Arizona fab has begun, with a total investment of approximately USD 40 billion for both phases. The first phase is expected to produce 4-nanometer chips, while the second phase will produce 3-nanometer chips.
