TSMC, a global leader in the semiconductor industry, recently announced a major investment plan that will invest at least $100 billion in the United States over the next four years to build several new chip manufacturing facilities. The news was officially announced at a press conference of former US President Trump, and TSMC CEO Wei Zhejia personally attended and elaborated on the plan in detail. He said the huge investment will be mainly used in Arizona's factory construction to further expand TSMC's production capacity in the United States.
Wei Zhejia emphasized at the press conference: "We will produce a large number of artificial intelligence chips to support the rapid development of global artificial intelligence technology." TSMC has previously promised to invest $65 billion in the United States and has received government subsidies of up to $6.6 billion in accordance with the Chip Act. The Biden administration-driven bill aims to promote semiconductor production in the United States to address challenges in the global chip supply chain. The new $100 billion investment this time has brought TSMC's total investment in the United States to about $165 billion, further consolidating its important position in the US chip industry.
The United States has long expressed concerns about TSMC's "nearly monopoly" position in the chip manufacturing field and has repeatedly called on the company to move more production lines back to the United States. TSMC's advantages in advanced chip packaging technology are crucial to meeting the global growing demand for artificial intelligence chips, especially in the context of the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, which is particularly important.
Since Trump took office, he has repeatedly stated that he would impose tariffs on foreign chip production to promote the development of domestic manufacturing in the United States, and once threatened to terminate the Chip Act, believing that its strength is not enough to promote the revival of the US semiconductor industry. However, many experts warn that Trump's policies may slow or even damage U.S. progress in the field of artificial intelligence, especially today when global technology competition is increasingly fierce.
Futurum CEO Daniel Newman said TSMC's huge investment could be linked to delays in tariffs or meeting specific requirements, which could be seen as a "victory" for the U.S. government. "As the United States continues to push for increased domestic manufacturing, TSMC's major commitments may become a strategically goodwill gesture that will help alleviate the U.S. reliance on global chip supply chains," he noted.
TSMC already has several production facilities in the United States, including its Arizona plant that began mass production last year. Trump and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik have repeatedly urged TSMC to take over and manage Intel's chip factories in the United States, which face many challenges in logistics and production efficiency. TSMC's intervention is believed to help improve the operational efficiency of these plants.
Since Trump took office, he has repeatedly announced large-scale infrastructure projects at the White House with technology CEOs and investors. In January this year, OpenAI and SoftBank promised to build a network of artificial intelligence data centers worth up to $500 billion in the United States. Just last week, Apple also said it plans to invest more than $500 billion in the United States to expand its manufacturing presence. However, experts have questioned the feasibility of these commitments, believing that the implementation of these projects may face numerous challenges.