TSMC's counterattack is beginning to dawn, and the US media bluntly said that the situation has changed
Some time ago, TSMC realized the factory ceremony of the first batch of equipment from the American factory, and the momentum was not small, and it was announced that another 3nm factory would be built, Biden called for the return of American production, and Apple Cook enthusiastically said that high-end chips can be produced in the United States.
TSMC has begun to transfer nearly a thousand technicians and equipment to the United States. Some United States ** said that TSMC is accelerating its transfer to the United States, and there is no TSMC in the world, so TSMC is in the United States. In this regard, TSMC has taken two major measures to respond directly!
TSMC has built a factory in the United States, prompting many companies in the ** chain to also build factories in the United States. As a result, rumors in the semiconductor industry began to turn to Taiwan, which became a hot topic for a while. In this regard, TSMC President Wei Zhejia responded publicly for the first time, and there was not even a door.
Wei Zhejia said that the wafer industry is not just about having money to build factories, but also needs technology, talents, first-class chains, etc. It is not to build one or two factories in the first place, the industrial chain and ecosystem can be transplanted, and technology and talents are challenges.
Its meaning is very clear, if it does not build a factory in the United States, TSMC will become TSMC, and its main force is still in place.
The president said that not long ago, TSMC was preparing a major action, which was rarely carried out before, that is, a 3nm mass production ceremony was held publicly at the factory in Taiwan, China, to once again show the outside world TSMC's determination to deeply cultivate Taiwan, China.
The mass production of TSMC's 5nm factory will not be until 2024, and the mass production of the 3nm factory will not be until 2026, and the production capacity is far from localized.
Now, TSMC's 3nm factory will take another 4 years to achieve mass production, and it is clear that the American factory cannot replace the local factory. And according to Taiwan** reports, TSMC's advanced process orders are currently very full, not only from existing customers such as Apple and Qualcomm.
Some time ago, there were rumors that more American companies such as Google, Tesla, OPPO and others were using TSMC's production capacity. Previously, there was speculation that Google would use the 3nm process, using Samsung or TSMC, but now it seems that Google is likely to choose TSMC.
Tesla has also placed a 4nm order with TSMC, as has OPPO processors, which are rumored to have signed a 4nm contract with TSMC.
In addition, Internet manufacturers such as Amazon, Alibaba, and automobile manufacturers such as Fuchs, General Motors, and Toyota have all chosen TSMC, including 5nm or 7nm processes, which shows that TSMC is still the first choice for advanced manufacturing chip foundry.
This means that Samsung, the second in the world, is not enough to catch up, not to mention the American company Intel, if it wants to catch up with TSMC and replace it, I'm afraid it's not that simple, TSMC is making efforts to prove that TSMC is still TSMC.
For TSMC, this action alone is not enough to get orders for more advanced processes, and another action is to show its strength again.
Taking Samsung's 3nm process as an example, although it took half a year to reach mass production and almost no major customers, TSMC's 3nm has Apple, Intel, Qualcomm, MediaTek, AMD, NVIDIA, Broadcom and other ordering options.
Because the R&D cost of 3nm alone is already very high, no one wants to have problems, and Samsung's yield and stability are difficult to guarantee, so there are basically not many customers who choose TSMC at that time, and Samsung may not even drink much soup.
In addition to Samsung, Intel is also pursuing advanced manufacturing processes. However, even Samsung is difficult to parry, not to mention Intel, which has a bit of a big gap. As a result, both Samsung and Intel will fall into a black hole of R&D investment in advanced processes.
In other words, they spend huge sums of money on advanced processes but are unable to compete for customers, and as a result, they struggle to recoup their costs.
As a result, Samsung and Intel will be reluctant to invest in advanced process factories. However, TSMC will not hesitate to continue investing in capacity expansion, as it has already received more orders for advanced manufacturing, and its capital expenditure is expected to hit a new high.
Although TSMC has cut capital expenditure to $36 billion for the second time in a row in 2022, according to Taiwan** news, TSMC's capital expenditure will reach $40 billion this year, and the capacity margin is expected to be full again in the second half of the year.
This move to expand capital expenditure also further demonstrates TSMC's strength and refutes rumors that TSMC moved from the United States.
The reason why the United States will say"There is no TSMC left in the world"TSMC has begun to build 5nm and 3nm chip wafer factories in the United States, so it is more convenient for American manufacturing companies to replace TSMC as soon as possible in the case of faster technological progress.
However, TSMC responded directly with actions, received orders for more advanced processes, continued to increase capital expenditures, and stated that it would continue to work hard in Chinese mainland and Taiwan, and the main force of advanced processes would remain in the country, indicating that it would not switch to the US semiconductor industry!
In this regard, the United States bluntly said that TSMC is not its own person, and in the face of pressure, TSMC began to fight back!