Apple chipmaker TSMC has announced plans to open a third Arizona chip plant, in addition to the two already under construction. This will be the most advanced of the three plants, making 2nm chips.
The expansion plan appears to have been part of a deal for the company to receive a total of $11.6B in US grants and loans …
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Apple chip production is largely back on track following the major earthquake in Taiwan, thanks in part due to “world-class seismic mitigation measures” in TSMC’s plants.
Some plants were temporarily evacuated to ensure the safety of employees, and there was some damage – the worst of which appears to have been to the company’s most advanced plant, using the 2nm process expected to be used for the iPhone 17 Pro chips …
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The biggest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years has killed at least four people, with TSMC plants evacuated as a safety precaution.
Apple’s chipmaker is still assessing the impact on production; even the slightest vibration can result in entire batches of chips being destroyed …
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There’s no letup in the race toward ever smaller processes. It’s just a couple of days since we heard that TSMC has shown Apple test results from a 2nm chip, and the company is already discussing the next generation – using a 1.4nm process.
Somewhat confusingly, TSMC is switching from the N prefix it has used in the past to an A prefix – meaning that the 1.4nm chips will be labelled as A14 – the same name Apple gave to the 5nm chip used in the iPhone 12 line-up …
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In 2021, Apple committed to investing $430 billion in the US economy over a five year period. Now the company has detailed plans to bring Apple silicon packaging to Arizona as part of that investment. The announcement seems to refute an earlier report that Apple silicon fabbed by TSMC in the US would still need to be packaged in Taiwan.
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The latest TSMC earnings report appears to provide further evidence for recent reports of relatively weak iPhone 15 demand – when compared to last year’s iPhone 14 lineup.
While the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models appear popular, it seems demand for these isn’t high enough to offset disappointing sales of the base and Plus models …
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While next year’s iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to use a smaller version of TSMC’s 3nm process, Apple’s chipmaker is already planning production of its first 1nm chips …
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TSMC founder Morris Chang has said that Intel won’t catch up with its technological lead, and will remain in the “shadow” of the Taiwanese company.
Intel has acknowledged that Apple’s own Mac chip designs are more advanced than any PC chip the US company currently offers, but the company’s CEO has repeatedly suggested that it will eventually catch and then overtake TSMC …
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The launch of the two iPhone 15 Pro models is being heralded as a success for chipmaker TSMC, with the A17 Pro chip expected to account for between 4% and 6% of its total sales this year.
Next year, Apple is expected to adopt TSMC’s next-gen chip tech, known as N3E, for the iPhone 16 Pro models. Five other companies are expected to do the same for their most advanced chips …
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When Apple chipmaker TSMC was granted federal subsidies for building its first US plant, creating jobs for American workers was one of the key arguments. But with hiring well underway, a new report says that almost half of the TSMC Arizona plant hires are from Taiwan.
Additionally, plans for a six-step expansion program – intended to allow the Arizona plant to rival the production volumes of those in Taiwan – are now said to be unlikely to proceed ….
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After an analyst described the Arizona TSMC plant as a “paperweight” – due to the fact that all the chips it makes will have to be sent to Taiwan for the final stage of production – the state’s governor has claimed that this might change.
Governor Katie Hobbs said during a visit to TSMC in Taiwan that the state and the Apple chipmaker are “talking” about upgrading the capabilities of the plant …
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The TSMC Arizona chip plant is behind schedule, over budget, and the subject of contention in online forums – and now an analyst says that it will be little more than a useless paperweight, even when it does finally begin production.
Not only will it only make chips for older Apple devices, but it can’t even complete the process of making those without sending them back to Taiwan for final assembly …
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Intel’s planned acquisition of Tower Semiconductor has failed, after the US chipmaker was unable to get the necessary regulatory approval.
The abandonment of the $5.4B deal is a setback to Intel’s hopes of competing with Apple chipmaker TSMC …
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The ongoing TSMC US chip plant battle continues to rage, over the company’s plans to bring in hundreds of Taiwanese workers to speed up construction. The plant is slated to make chips for older Apple devices.
The latest development has seen a popular Taiwanese YouTube channel accuse US workers of laziness, with anti-American insults also posted to a local Facebook group …
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Controversy over the first ever US TSMC plant aren’t going away – especially plans for around 500 Taiwanese construction workers to be flown in. Update: Indeed, things got worse.
A petition has been created, calling on senators and members of Congress to block the visas needed to bring in their foreign workers …
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US-made TSMC chips may cost more than the same ones made in Taiwan, suggests a new piece today, following an interview with company chairman, Mark Liu. The Arizona plant will make chips for older Apple devices.
Asked about the risks of China invading Taiwan, Liu suggested that this mostly depends on the state of diplomatic relations between the US and China …
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The start of TSMC Arizona chip production – which will include chips for older Apple devices – has now been officially delayed by the company. Production was scheduled to begin in late 2024, and this has now been pushed back to early 2025.
Apple’s chipmaker had previously acknowledged that construction work had fallen well behind schedule, but had said at the time that this “[did] not necessarily mean” that initial chip production would be delayed …
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Apple chipmaker TSMC has responded to recent concerns over both safety and potential US job losses during the construction and setup phase of its Arizona chip plant.
The company denied that there was a safety problem at the plant, and addressed concerns about plans that might impact US jobs …
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TSMC‘s Apple chip production is not expected to be affected by China’s decision to restrict exports of two key materials, but there are fears that this could change dramatically if the relationship between China and the US continues to deteriorate.
The biggest fear is that China could take the same step with rare earth elements, like lithium …
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Construction work on TSMC’s Arizona chip plant, which is set to make chips for some older Apple devices, has run over budget and behind schedule – leading to plans to send over hundreds of additional workers from Taiwan to try to address the problems.
The news follows concerns about safety at the plant, after multiple accidents, and a claim that an active shooter drill was used to disguise the need to evacuate the plant after a gas leak …
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Questions are being raised about TSMC Arizona plant safety, after multiple accidents, near-misses, and claims of a faked active shooter drill to cover up the evacuation needed for a dangerous gas leak.
One union rep says that the plant – which is set to make chips for Apple – is “easily the most unsafe site” he’s seen in 17 years …
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Apple chipmaker TSMC is one of seven semiconductor companies to announce plans to invest in Japanese operations, ahead of a G7 summit in the country.
One of the key issues to be discussed at the summit is economic resilience and security in the light of growing threats to global trade, which includes fears about the future of Taiwan …
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Warren Buffett’s conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway has now sold all its TSMC shares in what has been described as an “abrupt” move.
Buffett said that while he remained a great admirer of the company, tensions between China and Taiwan were too great to make it a safe investment – highlighting concerns about Apple’s total dependence on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for all of its processors …
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TSMC 3nm chip production is well underway, with the latest process expected to be used for both the A17 chip in the iPhone 15 Pro, and the M3 destined for future Macs. However, the company told analysts that it isn’t yet able to keep up with customer demand.
Apple’s chipmaker also said that yield rates (the percentage of chips that pass quality control tests) are not yet good enough to charge the iPhone maker for every wafer produced …
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