Apple’s chip partner TSMC will begin mass production of 5nm chips at new Arizona factory in 2024

Apple chip supplier TSMC has confirmed that it will begin mass production operations at its new factory in Arizona in 2024, Nikkei Asia reports.

TSMC Chairman Mark Liu announced that the company’s $12 billion factory in Phoenix, Arizona, which is currently under construction, will begin mass production in the first quarter of 2024. While the schedule for 2024 had already been announced by BloombergTSMC’s announcement serves as confirmation and indicates that the project is on the right track.

The first batch of engineers hired to outfit the new US plant arrived in Taiwan in late April this year for training, and the company is looking to speed up its timeline for installation as much as possible.

The facility will mass produce chips fabricated with a 5nm process. TSMC has gradually miniaturized its process over the years, moving from a 16nm A10 chip in iPhone 7 models to a 7nm A13 chip in iPhone 11 models, and more recently a 5nm process for the A14 chip in the iPhone 12. Likely customers for the chips made at the Arizona factory include Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Apple. The new factory in Arizona will theoretically allow Apple’s custom 5nm silicon chips, such as the A14 or M1 chip, to be manufactured in the United States.

TSMC’s main factories are located in Taiwan, but it already operates a factory in Camas, Washington, as well as design centers in Austin, Texas and San Jose, California, meaning the Arizona factory will be its second manufacturing site in the United States.

Along with news about the Arizona factory, TSMC also said it was investigating chip production sites in Japan, likely chips for Sony devices, and announced plans to expand manufacturing capacity in Japan. abroad to ensure long-term competitiveness.