Report: TSMC mulling US fab

In response to US pressure, TSMC is considering building a fab in the US, sources told Nikkei. Currently, only two of the foundry’s seventeen fabs are located outside Taiwan: one in mainland China, which has been operational since 2018, and one in the US, which started production in 1998. Being caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade tensions, however, the company may be forced to spread out its manufacturing locations.

The Trump administration is citing security concerns while pushing for more advanced chip manufacturing on US soil. It’s also trying to slow down Chinese advancement in the semiconductor domain, as exemplified by pressuring the Dutch government to block the shipment of an ASML EUV scanner to China. Reportedly, the US is considering measures that would force TSMC to stop making ICs for Chinese companies.