Major Apple supplier TSMC’s American chip production yields surpass Taiwan’s
Major Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has achieved early production yields at its first plant in Arizona that surpass similar factories back home, a significant breakthrough for American semiconductor fabrication.
Mackenzie Hawkins for Bloomberg News:
The share of chips manufactured at TSMC’s facility in Phoenix that are usable is about 4 percentage points higher than comparable facilities in Taiwan, Rick Cassidy, president of TSMC’s US division, told listeners on a webinar Wednesday, according to a person who participated. The success rate, or yield, is a critical measure in the semiconductor industry because it determines whether companies will be able to cover the enormous costs of a chip plant.
A TSMC spokesperson declined to comment directly on Cassidy’s event and referred to remarks from Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei on a call with investors last week.
“Our first fab entered engineering wafer production in April with 4-nanometer process technology, and the result is highly satisfactory, with a very good yield,” he said at the time. “This is an important operational milestone for TSMC and our customers, demonstrating TSMC’s strong manufacturing capability and execution.”
The latest yield advancement is notable for TSMC because it has historically kept the most advanced and efficient plants in its home island of Taiwan…
Wei conveyed optimism about the US push during the call last week. “We now expect volume production of our first fab to start in the beginning of 2025, and are confident to deliver the same level of manufacturing quality and reliability from our fab in Arizona as from our fabs in Taiwan,” he said.
MacDailyNews Note: Earlier this month, Tim Cuplan reported via Substack that TSMC has started making its first chips (Apple A16 Bionic) for major customer Apple, at its new fabrication plant in Phoenix, Arizona.
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