Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC is planning to produce chips with advanced 3-nanometre technology at its new factory in the US state of Arizona but the plans are not completely finalised yet, the company's founder Morris Chang said on Monday.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), a major
Apple supplier and the world's largest contract chipmaker, is constructing a
$12 billion plant in Arizona.
Last year, Reuters reported TSMC's plans to build more
chipmaking factories in Arizona, including discussions about whether its next
plant should be more advanced which could make chips with 3-nanometer
technology compared to the slower, less-efficient 5-nanometer chips that will
be churned out when the facility begins production.
Chang, speaking to reporters in Taipei after returning from
the APEC summit in Thailand, said the 3-nanometre plant would be located at the
same Arizona site as the 5-nanometre plant.
"Three-nanometre, TSMC right now has a plan, but it has
not been completely finalised," said Chang, who has retired from TSMC but
remains influential in the company and the broader chip industry.
"It has almost been finalised - in the same Arizona
site, phase two. Five-nanometre is phase one, 3-nanometre is phase two."
TSMC, Asia's most valuable listed company, declined to
comment.
The company is holding a "tool-in" ceremony in
Arizona on December 6.
Chang said he would be attending, along with TSMC customers
and suppliers and US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. He added that US
President Joe Biden has also been invited, but that he didn't know if he would
be going.
Last month, TSMC reported) an 80 percent on-year surge in
profit for the July-September period of 2022, the strongest growth in two
years. However, TSMC also trimmed capital spending by at least 10 percent for
this year. TSMC, Asia's most valuable listed company, said it was being more
conservative in planning investments for 2023, but still expected "a
growth year". © Reuters