The Chip Insider®– TSMC in Arizona: Debacle or Challenge?
Author: G. Dan Hutcheson
Discover the latest industry insights in The Chip Insider® as we examine the cultural and operational hurdles facing TSMC’s Arizona fab and its impact on the global semiconductor landscape.
TSMC in Arizona: Debacle or Challenge? I’m always amazed at how fast the hero-to-bum cycle can be when it comes to the world’s treatment of our industry, while it fails to capture the true nuance of the longer-term impact… Now, when the industry needs support, many question… Intel is being kicked while it's down, while TSMC is being pulled down for stereotypical culture wars in Arizona… I have to wonder … if they are channeling the … culture wars between Western Americans, Irish, and Chinese immigrants in 19th-century San Francisco… Culture clash simply being a phase a company must pass when building a new fab in a new country.
TSMC is not the first to experience this. Nor will it be the last… Texas … NEC … AMD … quick success in … largely due to … making everyone on both sides feel like they were part of one team… TSMC will be successful in Arizona because they must. Too much is invested to believe otherwise. Yes there is a lot of cash involved. But it is the reputational and emotional capital investments that will pull people together to make it happen.
“Cost is important... Value is decisive.” — G. Dan Hutcheson
