TSMC May Possibly Build A U.S. Plant Next Year As Tension With Intel Becomes Greater

TSMC, the main chip supplier for Apple’s A-series chips, is considering building a factory int he USA, Reuters reports. The chip maker previously said they wouldn’t rule out the idea, but is now saying that they’ll be making their final decision in 2018.

Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major Apple Inc supplier, on Monday said it would take a decision next year on whether to build a U.S. chip plant […]

“We won’t make a decision until next year,” TSMC spokesperson Michael Kramer said.

While the majority of TSMC’s clients are U.S.-based, it says that there are some drawbacks by having a U.S. based plant.

“We would sacrifice some benefits if we move to the States. But we have flexibility in Taiwan. If an earthquake happened for instance (in Taiwan), we could send thousands of people here as support, whereas it’s harder in the States,” he told Reuters.

Despite the drawback, if TSMC decides to go through with the plan, they’re looking at an investment of about $16B.