Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to begin producing 2-nanometer chips at its Arizona facilities by 2028, marking the company’s latest technology transfer to US soil. The move follows earlier delays in the chipmaker’s ambitious $65 billion American expansion plan.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker has already pushed back the start of 4-nanometer production at its first Arizona plant to early 2025, from an initial target of late 2024. The timeline for 3-nanometer chip production at its second facility has also slipped to 2028 from 2026.
Taiwan’s Science Minister Wu Cheng-wen indicated the 2-nanometer technology deployment could potentially extend into 2029 or 2030. He emphasized that TSMC will only transfer the technology after establishing mass production in Taiwan, addressing concerns about the island’s technological leadership.
The US Commerce Department has preliminarily agreed to provide TSMC with up to $6.6 billion in CHIPS Act funding for its Arizona expansion. The company’s three-phase investment represents one of the largest foreign direct investments in US history.
TSMC’s founder Morris Chang recently confirmed that while Arizona operations are proceeding on schedule, a planned December ceremony for the first facility has been postponed until after the upcoming presidential transition.
