TSMC considering a microchip fabrication plant in the U.S.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. may construct a multibillion-dollar microchip fabrication plant in the U.S. as a part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to attract high-tech jobs and investment to the country. The company is considering a number of locations for a high tech 3-nanometer plant and will take a final decision in the first half of 2018 as said by director of corporate communications Elizabeth Sun. TSMC is the world’s largest contract semiconductor maker that makes chips for popular devices like iPhones.

Trump has made a point about increasing taxes and tariffs on companies that have manufacturing facilities in different parts of the world and sell their products in American market. That has spurred car and technology manufacturers to strategize facility expansion in the U.S.

“We have not ruled out going to the U.S., but the formal decision will not be made until early next year so there’s still quite a few months to go,” Sun said. “It’s too early to jump the gun to say where we will be landed at.”

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TSMC was expected to build its 3-nm plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to leverage upon the buzzing local supply chain. Such a facility will need about $10 billion to construct. A Taipei-based Economic Daily News reported on Monday that TSMC might put that facility in an unspecified U.S. location. TSMC currently operates foundry subsidiary in the U.S.