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dboreham parent
I left the semiconductor industry 30 years ago but back then every company had "a fab that hasn't been completed in Arizona" that people would talk fondly of perhaps opening one day if business picks up. Seems like not much has changed.
itsnowandnever
I always thought it was funny that for my entire lifetime people have talked about Arizona being perfect for fabs because it's dry there and not subject to tremors meanwhile Taiwan where 60% of all chips are produced (and 90% of the most sensitive ones) is tropical and has earthquakes fairly frequently.
leptons
Semiconductor fabs require a significant amount of water, with some large facilities consuming up to 10 million gallons of ultrapure water daily. Water is something Arizona is lacking.
tom_alexander
I thought these days the fabs in water-scarce areas collect their waste water. re-purify it, and re-use it. So their actual drain on outside water sources is far lower.

> It will initially have a water recycling rate of around 85 percent, with a goal to achieve 90 percent. Currently, the company’s water resource center has an efficiency rate of 65 percent, converting industrial wastewater for use in the company's operations.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/tsmc-breaks-groun...

ansk
I can only imagine what the Taiwanese can do in Arizona. Truly a synergy for the ages.
foobarian
Maybe that's why yields there are better? [1]

[1] https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/ts...

dwd
Once you're in a air-conditioned environment the outside world doesn't matter.

More likely he compared the 4nm yield to the 3nm yield in Taiwan?

eru
The moisture of the outside world might not matter. But aircon doesn't protect you from earthquakes, alas.
4 More Comments →
dluan
China Airlines recently opened a new direct flight route between Taoyuan and Phoenix. They've been plastering it all over their plane signage. I thought it was funny that the flight must be pretty empty other than the handful of TSMC employees that need to go there.
khuey
Apparently China Airlines and Starlux are both going to fly that route next year. I have a hard time imagining there's demand for one let alone both.
sam_goody
Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States. It is also one of the major hubs of the west, being in a good location (midway north), having good weather for planes, and having America West headquartered there.

I would think there should be plenty of traffic going through there to Taiwan, similar to the amount going through a hub such as Chicago or NY.

dangus
From Wikipedia:

PHX was the 11th-busiest airport in the United States in terms of passenger boardings and 35rd-busiest in the world in 2024. The airport serves as a hub for American Airlines and a base for Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

dluan
Earlier this year Eva Air also announced a direct route to Dallas, supposedly starting next month. At the time I felt like it was a tariff negotiation tactic because that one also does not make sense.
iszomer
FYI to all: China Airlines is a Taiwanese company (ROC) and has no affiliation with mainland China (PRC).
_carbyau_
Then why would nations around the world protect Taiwan?
coliveira
Why do you think the Chinese people from Taiwan want to do anything in Arizona? They're there just to placate the orange guy's rage. They'll never do anything special there.
hshdhdhehd
Maybe chaos monkeys help innovation
nebula8804
Chaos monkey yes...but more like desperation for survival. Its the same mentality that drives Israel. As been shown a few times, it mutates into a sick culture with unintended consequences...but obviously it does produce results.
myth_drannon
You as a Chinese bot, is obviously very familiar with sick cultures coming from one.
tonyhart7
"death river strategy"
fortzi
Tell us more about your insights, as a clueless outsider
fortzi (dead)
WillPostForFood
https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/tech/2025/10/...
axus
There were 2 under construction, this is a local news story that they completed "Fab 52" instead of "pulling the plug". Fatter NYT story here: https://archive.is/WmXxl

Some pictures (provided by Intel) from inside: https://semiwiki.com/forum/threads/chinese-media-given-tour-...

There was a big layoff a few months ago, maybe that lines up with the parent comment: https://www.azfamily.com/2025/07/15/records-intel-lay-off-ne...

Don't see much mention of Fab 62 from any source. Did it get the axe, "postponed", or kind of on schedule?

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