Recently, TSMC announced that it would postpone its plan to build a factory in the United States and reject the subsidy conditions of the United States**, which is a shocking decision that has attracted widespread attention. The once hot TSMC market value of **560 billion, some people think that this is Zhang Zhongmou's conscience discovery, but in fact, TSMC's decision is more forced by the plight of the US market.
In 2020, TSMC announced an investment of $40 billion to build a factory in the United States, and plans to produce high-end semiconductors in the United States by the end of 2024. At that time, this plan was regarded as TSMC's "American dream", and Zhang Zhongmou himself even went to the United States to celebrate. The U.S. political circles also have high hopes for this, hoping to use the giant TSMC to drive the revival of the U.S. manufacturing industry. However, when TSMC officially began to build a factory, it realized that the promises and treatment of the United States were not as expected. Preferential policies have been curtailed and subsidies have not been fulfilled, which has seriously damaged TSMC's interests.
In addition to the policy not meeting expectations, the work efficiency and worker quality in the United States have also become a huge challenge for TSMC in the process of building factories in the United States. The slow pace of equipment installation at the factory has delayed the plan, and local labor unions in the United States have criticized TSMC for putting all the blame on workers. However, in fact, TSMC faced a number of difficulties in the United States and was unable to produce exactly as planned. This has also led to a decline in TSMC's market capitalization and revenue, and the capital market has begun to express concerns about its future development.
If it is only in the face of these difficulties, perhaps TSMC will continue to stick to it. However, the problems faced by TSMC are more complex. The rapid development of China's semiconductor industry has brought about significant changes in the pattern of the global chip manufacturing industry. At present, the world is facing the problem of chip surplus, TSMC originally expected to invest in the production of high-end semiconductors in the United States to monopolize the market, but with the rapid development of China, TSMC's strategy has become no longer suitable in the face of reality.
Therefore, when TSMC had to postpone the construction of the factory, it became a wiser choice to return to the mainland market. Rather than spending a lot of money and time to build a factory in the United States, TSMC can invest resources in the Chinese market and further consolidate its leading position in the global chip manufacturing industry. Today's China's semiconductor industry has made great progress, not only the technical strength has been improved, but also the best support has been given. For TSMC, returning to the mainland market can not only save costs, but also better cooperate with the first chain and enhance its overall competitiveness.
However, for Zhang Zhongmou, this return was not all smooth sailing. Although China's semiconductor industry is developing rapidly, there is still a huge gap with TSMC. TSMC needs to accelerate the pace of technology research and development and capacity improvement to cope with future competition. At the same time, TSMC also needs to pay attention to cooperation with China's leading enterprises to maintain its influence on the Chinese market. Only in this way can Zhang Zhongmou make his decision-making a wise choice.
To sum up, TSMC's decision to postpone its plan to build a factory in the United States and choose to return to the mainland market was influenced by many factors. Whether it is the policy that does not meet expectations, or the intensification of market competition, TSMC realizes that it needs to readjust its strategy to adapt to the current situation. However, for TSMC, returning to the mainland market is only the beginning, and the competition is still fierce. Zhang Zhongmou and TSMC need to remain vigilant and stay ahead of the curve in technology R&D and capacity ramp-up to continue to maintain their dominant position in the global chip manufacturing industry. Only in this way can TSMC set sail again and meet the challenges of the future.