According to US media exposure, the global semiconductor foundry giant TSMC plans to expand its investment in the United States. It is reported that TSMC will build a new wafer factory in the northern area of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, which will be responsible for the production of 3nm process wafers, with a total investment of up to 12 billion US dollars. As TSMC's largest overseas investment in recent years, the above investment plan has also caused great controversy on the island. Public opinion on the island generally believes that this move does more harm than good.
Some people in the blue camp warned that TSMC's move would hollow out the island's semiconductor industry and accelerate the loss of semiconductor talent. The people on the island said that the above concerns of the blue camp people are reasonable, mainly because the island's economy is very dependent on the semiconductor industry. A set of data shows that last year's semiconductor exports accounted for 34.8% of the island's total exports, and about 70% of the island's trade surplus was contributed by semiconductor exports, of which TSMC accounted for half of the island's semiconductor industry.
According to statistics, as the world's largest wafer foundry company , TSMC occupies 51% of the global semiconductor foundry market. Among them, in the advanced process wafer foundry market below 7 nanometers, TSMC has a higher market share . Industry insiders said that TSMC, as a leader in the semiconductor foundry field, has led the development of the island's semiconductor industry. However, "big trees attract wind", the strength of TSMC and its position in the industry have aroused the concerns of the US government.
In the view of the US government, TSMC holds the right to speak in foundry, especially advanced process foundry, which poses a certain threat to the US semiconductor supply and technical security. Therefore, the US government requires that TSMC must invest and set up factories in the United States and establish a foundry base. Due to the huge pressure of the US government, TSMC can only do so. It is worth noting that the wafer foundry established by TSMC in the United States uses the company's most advanced technology.
analysts said that TSMC's construction of a factory in the United States will expand TSMC's overseas revenue in the short term, but in the long run, this move is not conducive to the company's development and may even endanger the island's economic security. Analysts said that by setting up factories in the United States, the U.S. government can easily obtain the technology and talents mastered by TSMC. After the U.S. semiconductor supply is completely free from its high dependence on TSMC, the U.S. government may kick out TSMC at any time.
Some semiconductor practitioners on the island said that the DPP authorities must be highly vigilant against the conspiracy of the US government. However, the DPP authorities seem to have not woken up yet, and are still living in the dream of "close relationship between the United States and Taiwan". They have not taken any measures against the US government's coercion of the island's semiconductor industry and enterprises. Instead, they have repeatedly believed that Taiwan's semiconductor industry cannot be be replaced.
