TSMC delaying production at Arizona fab

Author: EIS Release Date: Aug 2, 2023

TSMC has delayed starting production at its Arizona fab from 2024 to 2025, due to a shortage of skilled technicians, said chairman Mark Liu, yesterday.

 

”We are encountering certain challenges, as there is an insufficient amount of skilled workers with a specialised expertise required for equipment, installation in a semiconductor-grade facility,“ said Liu, “while we are working to improve the situation, including sending experience technicians from Taiwan to train local skilled workers for a short period of time, we expect the production schedule of N4 process technology to be pushed out to 2025.“

 

The original date for starting production at the fab – Fab 21 – had been early 2024. It is being built to run 20k wpm.

 

There were reports last month that TSMC was sending 500 staff from Taiwan to Arizona to get the fab up and running. It would appear that this is turning out to be insufficient. TSMC has also complained that American workers don’t work hard enough.