Apple’s contract chipmaker partner TSMC said today that it plans to invest $100 billion over the next three years to increase chip capacity at its plants, days after Intel announced a $20 billion plan to expand its advanced chipmaking capacity.
The move comes as global companies reel from a shortage of semiconductor chips that initially forced auto companies to cut production, but is now hurting makers of smartphones, laptops and even appliances amid a pandemic-fueled rise in demand.
TSMC statement: “We are entering a period of higher growth as the multiyear megatrends of 5G and high-performance computing are expected to fuel strong demand for our semiconductor technologies in the next several years. “In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic also accelerates digitalization in every aspect.”
CNBC further noted that “TSMC, like other technology firms, has benefited from the work-and-study-from-home trend during the Covid-19 pandemic, as people rushed to buy laptops, tablets and other equipment.
TSMC announced plans to build its own $12 billion factory in Arizona starting in May, in an apparent win for the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump that was pushing to wrestle global tech supply chains back from China.”
It’s also being reported today by United Daily News in Taiwan that “TSMC announced a series of green manufacturing progress yesterday (31), including water management, power saving, and advanced material analysis. Among them, TSMC has built a highly automated advanced material analysis center, and it is also the first fully automated analysis center in China, the first high-efficiency hazardous substance screen The center has also built the first fully automated photoresist analysis integration platform in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry to reduce employees’ exposure to chemical hazards and increase analysis efficiency by 93%.” You could learn more about this secondary story here.
With this type of commitment being made by TSMC, we’re able to understand why the Indian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is planning to offer chip companies like TSMC more that $1 billion in cash + to build a plant in their country.
