Following rumours, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company will use chips manufactured at the TSMC Arizona plant. He made the remarks during the opening ceremony of TSMC Arizona’s first fab, which is set to start producing N4 process technology in 2024.
TSMC also said that it has started building a second fab, which will start making 3 nm process technology in 2026, as had been reported before.
The total investment for these two fabs will be around US$40 billion, making it the largest foreign direct investment in Arizona history and one of the largest foreign direct investments in US history. It was worth $12 billion.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated at the event:
Today is only the beginning. Today, we’re combining TSMC’s expertise with the unrivaled ingenuity of American workers. We are investing in a stronger, brighter future, we are planting our seed in the Arizona desert and at Apple, we are proud to help nurture its growth.
Dr. Mark Liu, Chairman of TSMC, said during the opening ceremony:
When complete, TSMC Arizona aims to be the greenest semiconductor manufacturing facility in the United States producing the most advanced semiconductor process technology in the country, enabling next generation high-performance and low-power computing products for years to come.
We are thankful for the continual collaboration that has brought us here and are pleased to work with our partners in the United States to serve as a base for semiconductor innovation.
