After a long swing period, Liu Deyindisregarded everyone's opposition and decided to give up his local advantages and go to the United States to build a factory. The factory plan will be located in Arizona , will be finalized in 2020, construction will start in 2021, and mass production will finally start in 2024. After two years, although the construction speed of the factory is not good, it has been under construction anyway.
It's just that the voices of opposition still can't stop. Many people in the industry are not optimistic about Liu Deyin's decision, and local people in Wanwan often express their worries about it. Recently, another chip tycoon spoke, saying that "if wafer manufacturing is moved to the United States, the advantages will no longer exist."
Huang Chongren: Moving wafer manufacturing to the United States will no longer have the advantage
This boss is Huang Chongren, the boss of Taiwanese company PSMC. As a wafer manufacturer, although PSMC is not as big as TSMC, it is also a company that has experienced the ups and downs of the semiconductor industry. Huang Chongren himself is also a well-known leader in the semiconductor industry. From DRAM to wafer manufacturing, he has a mature understanding and cognition of chip manufacturing. The predecessor of
PSMC was " Powerchip Semiconductor " (later renamed Powerchip Technology), which started out as DRAM , and had a glorious moment. At its peak, its profit even exceeded TSMC. Later, affected by economic problems, Powerchip Technology's business situation took a turn for the worse. Not only did it lose everything, but Huang Chongren himself owed NT$120 billion.
Faced with this situation, normal people have already despaired, but Huang Chongren did not give up. He decided to create a way out for the company through transformation. It just so happened that TSMC’s wafer manufacturing business was getting better and better at that time, and Huang Chongren planned to do wafer manufacturing too. With his original technology accumulation and hard work, Huang Chongren finally entered the fruit chain, with a debt of 120 billion It was also cleaned.
Today, Powerchip Group has changed its name to PSMC, and relying on the wafer manufacturing business, it has lived a second life. It's just that TSMC's brilliance is too bright, and ordinary people rarely pay attention to the company. And there is no doubt that Huang Chongren rescued Powerchip with one hand and established a world in the foundry market. He is a well-deserved veteran of the chip industry.
The so-called "If you don't listen to the old man's words, you will suffer in front of you". The former boss Zhang Zhongmou warned more than once that there is no future for building factories in the United States, and there is no soil for semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. Now Huang Chongren also stands up and warns that once he moves, the advantage will not be there. Why are these bigwigs so pessimistic about transferring production lines to the United States?
I can’t get out of the car when I get in the car
Huang Chongren said in an interview that the reason why Taiwan Semiconductor can lead the world is inseparable from excellent engineers and relatively low cost. The local CP value is very high, far better than that of the United States. At the same time, locally produced chips can be sold at international price , which also keeps TSMC's profits relatively high.
This is a good cycle, the cost is low and the profit is high. Then invest the money earned in research and development, and continue to maintain the advantages of the process. On the contrary, although the United States has great advantages in the field of IC design and semiconductor equipment manufacturing, wafer manufacturing is a weak point, which lacks talents and is extremely expensive. In contrast, it is clear at a glance who to choose.
The reason why Liu Deyin is determined to go to the United States to build a factory is actually very simple. The market and key equipment are restricted by the United States, and there is no way! It seems that there are choices, but in fact there are not many choices, and it takes a lot of courage. It is understandable that Liu Deyin chose a conservative strategy and did not follow US Hard Steel.
However, how much TSMC will pay for the current choice in the future, and whether it is really worth it, remains to be discussed and tested by time.