Hrmbee OP t1_iwiq132 wrote on November 15, 2022 at 10:45 PM

>"We've already made a decision to be buying out of a plant in Arizona, and this plant in Arizona starts up in '24, so we've got about two years ahead of us on that one, maybe a little less," Cook reportedly said at the meeting, according to Bloomberg. "In Europe, I'm sure that we will also source from Europe as those plans become more apparent." > >Also present at the meeting were Apple Services chief Eddy Cue and Head of People Deirdre O'Brien. > >Construction for the TSMC chip fabrication plant in Arizona began in June 2021. The company had initially projected to fire up production in September 2022, but the timeline has been pushed back by about six months. > >The TSMC plant is expected to go on-line in March 2023. TSMC expects it will reach its production start in early 2024. > >The labor pool in Arizona is also creating a challenge for TSMC. Intel already employs 12,000 people and seeks 3,000 more for its expanded facilities. TSMC will have to compete in an already low-unemployment region when seeking talent for its new plant.

It will be interesting to see how this works out for US and European fabs in the long run. Are companies going to be setting up US or EU-based assembly plants as well, or as the article mentions in the end will the chips still need to be shipped to China or India or wherever else the devices will be made in the future.

skolioban t1_iwj37y5 wrote on November 16, 2022 at 12:20 AM

Whichever makes them the most money.

capitalism93 t1_iwj8j7o wrote on November 16, 2022 at 1:03 AM

Companies also have to take into account where talented workers are. Europe is becoming as irrelevant as ever in chip fabrication (exception: ASML).

RejZoR t1_iwkhgox wrote on November 16, 2022 at 8:19 AM

That's a pretty big one since TSMC wouldn't even exist without ASML. They make the machines that fab the chips.

electriceric t1_iwl74vo wrote on November 16, 2022 at 1:39 PM

They make a couple of machines in Litho and metrology. Super important machines (especially EUV) but theres a lot of other companies making other machines thats apart of the whole process.

electriceric t1_iwl6ybd wrote on November 16, 2022 at 1:38 PM

Except for you know the 80 Billion Euros Intel is spending for a new mega fab in Germany, R&D in France, increasing production in Ireland and new investments in Poland, Italy, and Spain.

Source

DevAnalyzeOperate t1_iwjtcr6 wrote on November 16, 2022 at 3:48 AM

US-based fabs had more support than this in the past and still faltered in the face of competition. It’s only because of American dominance of the greater supply chain that America is able to put the screws to China like this at all.

Rugged_Refined t1_iwk2ers wrote on November 16, 2022 at 5:13 AM

I must have missed where he mentioned TSMC. Intel also fabs out of Arizona and also has Europe fabs developments in Germany (where this meeting takes place) as well as Italy.