TSMC says first advanced U.S. chip plant 'dang near back' on schedule. Here's an inside look at the Arizona fab

CNBC ^ | Published Fri, Dec 13 2024 Updated Wed, Dec 18 2024 | Katie Tarasov

[SunkenCiv]

They bet wrong.

[RoosterRedux]

Bfl

[Reeses]

in the Arizona desert north of Phoenix

Arizona is quickly being Californicated. For success, TSMC Arizona needs the freedom to operate on war time rules, or at least Taiwan employment rules, and be able to hire engineers based on merit again, which in practice means 90% German White, German Jew, and East Asian men. They might need to set up a 2 year accelerated engineering school so they don't end up with Intel's laid off H1B staff.

[jonrick46]

"TSMC plans to start production at its third Arizona fab, which Cassidy said is “probably going to be 2 nanometer and more advanced.”"

Two nanometer etchings is as small as it gets. You can get huge content on a chip with two mµ (2/1,000,000,000 metres). The air has to be perfectly filtered in the fabrication room. Fabrication takes lots of electricity and water.

[jonrick46]

The fabrication process, with those dangerous chemicals, is totally isolated from the technicians running it.

[4Liberty]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/it-s-the-most-indispensable-machine-in-the-world-and-it-depends-on-this-woman/ar-AA1wHmvg

[FLT-bird]

Pharmaceuticals and Rare Earth mining and processing.

[Psalm 73]

Spent a couple of years working in a micro-chip clean room, (between my two stints in aviation).

Odd environment - nose bled from ultra-low humidity first few weeks. And eerily quiet, mainly just the hushed sound of the air handlers.

Did not like it at all, but would do almost anything for a paycheck....

[Sarcazmo]

And have nose rings.

[GingisK]

I would have thought the US Military would be the largest customer.

The US military doesn't eat more hamburgers than the rest of the United States either. There are more iPhones than tanks, aircraft, and missiles combined.

[rmlew]

No. It is very expensive. Apple, Intel, AMD, and NVidia will be the first users. They will pay very expensive rates to pay for the new FAB and process node. Other companies will get second run after TMSC makes refinements allowing for higher yields and cheaper prices.

[ifinnegan]

It’s inland. Arizona has no coast.