TSMC commits another $100 billion to Arizona for at least four more 2nm fabs — 2026 capex could hit $64 billion following another record quarterly earnings

TSMC Arizona
(Image credit: TSMC)

TSMC will invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S. to build at least four more chipmaking plants and advanced packaging facilities in Arizona, CEO C.C. Wei announced at the company's second-quarter earnings conference in Taipei on Thursday. The new fabs will produce chips at the 2nm node and below, and the commitment lifts TSMC's total announced U.S. investment to $265 billion, confirming plans that appeared as a market rumor in February. TSMC didn’t attach a timeline, saying the pace of construction will be set by market demand.

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Luke James
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Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist.  Although his background is in legal, he has a personal interest in all things tech, especially hardware and microelectronics, and anything regulatory. 

  • Zaranthos
    The amount of global advanced fab production in wafers per month is growing at a mind boggling pace. The world is likely to double production in just a few years time. Even more shocking is that isn't enough to satisfy global demand. The amount of advanced world compute power available to the human race is growing like never before.

    How will it all be used? I sure hope it's for the good of mankind. The amount of problems that could potentially be solved is hard to quantify.
    Reply
  • usertests
    Zaranthos said:
    The amount of global advanced fab production in wafers per month is growing at a mind boggling pace. The world is likely to double production in just a few years time. Even more shocking is that isn't enough to satisfy global demand. The amount of advanced world compute power available to the human race is growing like never before.

    How will it all be used? I sure hope it's for the good of mankind. The amount of problems that could potentially be solved is hard to quantify.
    I hope we're in a slump and that we get another burst of computational power from a 3D transition. 3D DRAM will almost certainly happen, which will be good, but monolithic 3D SoCs will be a tougher nut to crack.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    ahh yes the place that will be unlivable in few decades even before they arrived due to drought...lets build more water hungry factories...
    edit: yes I know most of it can be reused but the place already struggles for water to begin with so taking the amount needed even once or twice is a big issue
    Reply
  • SkyBill40
    hotaru251 said:
    ahh yes the place that will be unlivable in few decades even before they arrived due to drought...lets build more water hungry factories...
    edit: yes I know most of it can be reused but the place already struggles for water to begin with so taking the amount needed even once or twice is a big issue

    In a few decades? Pfft. It's approaching that already. The fact they're spending money and expanding is great, but at what greater cost?
    Reply
  • TechieTwo
    hotaru251 said:
    ahh yes the place that will be unlivable in few decades even before they arrived due to drought...lets build more water hungry factories...
    edit: yes I know most of it can be reused but the place already struggles for water to begin with so taking the amount needed even once or twice is a big issue

    Maybe if there were not perpetual forest fires in CA and Canada there would be water for other uses? :mad:
    Reply
  • Zaranthos
    hotaru251 said:
    ahh yes the place that will be unlivable in few decades even before they arrived due to drought...lets build more water hungry factories...
    edit: yes I know most of it can be reused but the place already struggles for water to begin with so taking the amount needed even once or twice is a big issue
    The earth doesn't lack the water. I think we should pressure AI big spenders to supply their own water along with a surplus for the communities where they build.
    https://10across.org/experts-weigh-in-on-a-proposed-arizona-mexico-desalination-plant-to-solve-arizonas-water-problems/
    Reply
  • Zaranthos
    usertests said:
    I hope we're in a slump and that we get another burst of computational power from a 3D transition. 3D DRAM will almost certainly happen, which will be good, but monolithic 3D SoCs will be a tougher nut to crack.

    I think technological advancement will explode right along with the AI boom.
    Reply
  • CrazyCarrot911
    If Ai won't generate solid profit soon, then who is going to buy and pay for all those chips ?
    I still think this will end in a big implosion for one or the other reasons mentioned before.

    Water is not negotiable. Some will find that out very soon.
    Reply
  • SkyBill40
    Zaranthos said:
    The earth doesn't lack the water. I think we should pressure AI big spenders to supply their own water along with a surplus for the communities where they build.
    https://10across.org/experts-weigh-in-on-a-proposed-arizona-mexico-desalination-plant-to-solve-arizonas-water-problems/

    This is, quite honestly, a dead in the water (pardon the pun) solution. The cost alone makes this relatively untenable, not to mention the infrastructure required to get whatever water back to the valley for use.
    Reply
  • usertests
    Zaranthos said:
    I think technological advancement will explode right along with the AI boom.
    If we go by IMEC's latest roadmap, we get CFETs and incremental improvements on it through 2041. The end results of this 15 year period will be great, but not necessarily revolutionary. Think 10x performance per watt instead of 100-1000x.

    https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductor-technology-roadmap
    Unless they're wrong, of course.
    Reply