Summary
The Biden administration finalized a $6.6 billion award to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for its Arizona chip factories, securing CHIPS Act funding before President-elect Trump takes office.
TSMC plans to invest $65 billion in three Phoenix fabs, creating thousands of jobs and bolstering U.S. semiconductor production.
The funds, part of the $52.7 billion CHIPS Act, aim to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign-made chips.
Despite Trump’s criticism of the subsidies, the agreement is legally binding, ensuring continued progress on the largest foreign investment in U.S. manufacturing history.
Taking bets on whether we’ll actually see the latest litho tech chips come out of the Arizona fab or RISC-V from China fabs will overtake ARM first.
Is the Arizona factory supposed to be state-of-the art? I had heard we were more concerned with just getting any kind of chip production stateside, since most electronics don’t actually use the latest chips (missiles, toasters, etc.).