TSMC, which primarily manufactures processors for Apple products, is constructing a new chip factory in Phoenix, Arizona.
Maurice Chen, the founder of TSMC, confirmed that the new $12 billion factory will focus on producing 3nm chips. The facility is close to the Phoenix wafer fab, which currently manufactures 5nm chip designs. On December 6, TSMC is also expected to hold an equipment installation ceremony for the new factory.
According to current reports, TSMC will manufacture the next-generation Apple iPhone chipsets as well as Apple Silicone SoCs for the upcoming iPad and Mac computers on 3nm chips using the N3 process. Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed that he will begin using US-made chips in 2024.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated during a business trip to Germany, “We have decided to purchase a factory in Arizona. The Arizona factory is scheduled to open in 2024, but it could open two years earlier. The plans are in the works, so we will almost certainly order from Europe “said during a meeting with Addi Chu and Deirdre O’Brien, the company’s retail and human resources heads.
The majority of TSMC’s factories are in Taiwan, but the company is expanding its operations in Camus, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as opening design centers in Austin, Texas, and San Jose, California. According to estimates, TSMC could control up to 70% of the chip shipment portfolio in the first quarter of 2022.