TSMC Won’t Rule Out 2nd Phase of Expansion in Ariz.

The "first wave" of U.S.-hired engineers arrived in Taiwan in late April for training on 5-nanometer technology for the fab that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is building in Arizona, said Chairman Mark Liu on a Q2 earnings call Thursday. “We are actively in a fast learning phase to optimize the operating efficiency for the U.S. fab,” he said. Construction of the fab has already begun, with equipment move-in scheduled for second-half 2022. TSMC expects phase 1 volume production of 20,000 wafers a month will begin in Q1 2024, he said. “We do not rule out the possibility of a second phase of expansion.”