TSMC will begin producing 4-nanometer chips in its new $12 billion Arizona chip plant as soon as it opens in 2024. The new fabrication plant is currently under construction.
While TSMC had originally planned to initially use the plant for the fabrication of 5-nanometer chips, pressure from Apple and other companies that are increasingly looking for ways to source components made in the United States, says Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
TSMC previously said it would make 20,000 wafers per month at the Arizona facility, although production may increase from those original plans, the people said. Apple will use about a third of the output as production gets underway.
Apple and other major tech companies rely on TSMC for their chipmaking needs, and the change means they’ll be able to get more of their processors from the US. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has previously told employees that his company plans to source chips from the Arizona plant.
The new plans are scheduled to be announced in Phoenix next Tuesday. President Joe Biden, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, and Apple CEO Tim Cook are expected to attend, along with AMD CEO Lisa Su and Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang.
TSMC is also expected to formally announce plans for an adjacent facility that will produce even more advanced 3-nanometer chips. That plan was revealed last week by TSMC founder Morris Chang.
Apple is expected to first use the 3nm process to fabricate its upcoming M2 Pro or M3 chip. Both Apple’s M3 chip for Macs and A17 chip for iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to be manufactured based on TSMC’s enhanced 3nm process.
