TSMC went to the United States to set up a factory, whose cheese was touched

　　Xinhua News Agency, Taipei, December 9 (Reporters Zhao Bo, Huang Yang) On December 6 local time, TSMC, a leading integrated circuit company in Taiwan, held a machine transfer ceremony at its new factory in Arizona, USA. The first batch of equipment was shipped from Taiwan to the new factory. .

It is reported that the total investment of the project is 40 billion US dollars. The first phase plans to mass produce 5nm process chips and advance to 4nm. The second phase plans to mass produce the most advanced 3nm process chips.

By then, the total monthly production capacity will reach 50,000 pieces.

　　TSMC's establishment of a factory in the United States has long been reported by the media and has become a hot topic.

Now that the new factory is launched, it has caused a thousand waves with one stone.

TSMC's advanced production capacity moved to the United States, whose cheese was moved?

In the past few days, there have been many discussions on the island.

　　According to Taiwan media reports, TSMC originally responded coldly to setting up a factory in the United States because of the high cost.

There is a shortage of chip manufacturing talents in the United States, as well as upstream and downstream operators such as raw materials, IC design, packaging and testing.

The cost of TSMC to produce chips in the United States is more than 50% higher than that in Taiwan.

Taiwan media also disclosed that TSMC sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce in November, pointing out that the real obstacle to manufacturing chips in the U.S. is the "comparative cost of construction and operation."

　　The cost is so high, why do you have to go?

Zhang Zhongmou, the founder of TSMC, said bluntly when attending an event that TSMC chose to do so at the urging of the US government.

　　TSMC is the world's largest semiconductor manufacturing company and an important pillar of Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Starting from the 10nm process, TSMC has been far ahead in the field of chip foundry.

　　Regarding TSMC's establishment of a factory in the United States, the United States is not stingy with compliments, but it can't cover up its domineering attitude towards Taiwan.

According to the analysis of Taiwan media, the United States needs to achieve two strategic goals. One is to reduce its dependence on Taiwan's chips, and the other is to cut off Taiwan's chip supply to mainland China.

It is in its own interest to require TSMC to transfer its talents and production capacity to the United States on the grounds of "security risks in the Taiwan Strait".

　　Qu Jianzhong, a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at National Taiwan University, wrote to the media that "de-Taiwanization of semiconductors" is now in progress.

From the U.S. request for TSMC to set up a factory in the U.S., it can be seen that the U.S. must first think of its own interests.

　　"China Times" reported on the 8th that Lai Zhengyi, chairman of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, said that TSMC's establishment of a factory in the United States has many disadvantages, such as: employment opportunities, foreign exchange income, and taxes that should have remained in Taiwan have been "magnetically attracted" by the United States. damage to Taiwan.

　　Lu Xingzhi, a senior semiconductor analyst, said on social platforms that TSMC disperses its core process technology investment in the United States, and the gross profit margin of the American plant is significantly lower than that of the Taiwanese plant. For foreign analysts, "it is not good news, and it is impossible to write a profitable report."

　　TSMC's engineers went to the United States with their families, which is also a hot topic on the island recently.

Taiwan's "Business Weekly" reported that on November 1, nearly 300 TSMC employees and their families took a chartered flight to Phoenix.

In the next few months, there will be another 6 chartered flights, which will send a total of more than 1,000 engineers and their families to the United States one after another.

　　Taiwanese current affairs commentator Chen Fengxin said that these people are the top engineers on the island, and the chartered flight to send top talents from the island to the United States made the public "feel particularly strong".

Public opinion on the island believes that the United States wants to "hollow out Taiwan" in terms of technology, industry and even talents.

　　What makes Taiwanese society "feel" the most is the performance of the DPP authorities.

According to a press release issued by the leadership’s office, in September and December this year, Tsai Ing-wen repeatedly declared when meeting with “American guests” that Taiwan would “join hands with the United States to produce ‘democratic chips’ and create a sustainable supply chain.” .

　　The United States takes whatever it wants from Taiwan, and the DPP authorities try their best to cater to the "kneeling and sending of votes", which aroused the anger of netizens.

According to media reports, many netizens poured into Tsai Ing-wen’s personal account on social media to leave messages, “Turn TSMC into USMC” and “TSMC upgrade to become a mountain in the United States”... Netizens questioned that advanced manufacturing processes were moved to the United States, and Taiwanese talents were also sent to the United States. , Is this "love Taiwan" or "harm Taiwan"?

　　In the face of opposition, the head of the economic department of the Taiwan authorities resorted to the usual "sweeping the pot", falsely claiming that the mainland media is hyping the "de-Taiwanization of semiconductors". , and then the hidden worries of harming employment and impacting Taiwan's economy no longer exist.

And this person swears that the so-called "advanced manufacturing process must stay in Taiwan", no matter how it sounds, it seems to be drawing a big cake.

　　According to comprehensive Taiwan media reports, while introducing TSMC, the United States is also vigorously promoting other Taiwanese semiconductor companies to go to the United States.

In early December, the world's third largest silicon wafer factory and Taiwan's largest silicon wafer factory, Universal Chip started construction on a 12-inch wafer factory in Texas, USA. It is expected to be put into operation in 2025, with a maximum monthly output of 1.2 million pieces.

In addition, many suppliers of TSMC, including clean room business and chemical plants, all cooperated with follow-up to the United States.

　　Cai Mingzhang, chairman of Taiwan Shengda Investment Holdings, said in an interview that leaving Taiwan for the supply chain would do more harm than good.

Obviously, if Taiwan is no longer an important semiconductor manufacturing center, and there are no important industries that may affect the world in the next step, its economic and trade status will naturally decline.

　　According to reports, due to the panic effect, TSMC's stock price fell for three consecutive days, closing at NT$471.5 on the 8th, dropping to a new low in more than three weeks.

On the well-known electronic bulletin board PTT in the island, netizens directly called out that "one more fab built in the United States means one less fab built in Taiwan" and "TSMC will be moved to nowhere"...

　　Not only going to the United States, TSMC's new factory in Kumamoto, Japan has invested about US$8.6 billion and will start operations in 2024.

According to Taiwan media reports, TSMC is considering setting up a factory in Saxony, Germany.

　　"China Times" published a short commentary "TSMC was snatched away" on the 7th, saying that the whole world knows the importance of semiconductors.

The U.S., Japan and Europe produce cutting-edge semiconductors that originally relied on Taiwan for their own production. This is not called "de-Taiwanization." What is "de-Taiwanization"?

The Cai authorities are obedient and cooperative, and they are simply "helping to count the money after being sold."

　　Chen Xiaoping, a retired Taichung professor, wrote that despite TSMC's reluctance in every possible way, being "pushed onto the sedan chair" in a political environment where the authorities are responsive to the United States is a helpless but inevitable result.

　　On the day of the transfer ceremony, "United Daily News" published an editorial pointing out that when TSMC was established, it was only a spin-off company of the Institute of Electronics of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, but at that time it had planned the long-term development of the semiconductor industry.

The semiconductor industry has become the pillar of Taiwan's economy, and TSMC has become the "Sacred Mountain for Protecting Taiwan".

If you ask today's rulers what plans they have made for Taiwan 20 years from now, what will the Tsai authorities say in response?