Lorraine Luk, TSMC Doesn't See Expansion of US Operations on Horizon; Taiwanese chip maker isn't considering building additional US facility at this time. Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2014
online.wsj.com/articles/taiwan-chip-maker-tsmc-holding-off-on-u-s-production-expansion-1403592909
("Chairman Morris Chang told reporters Tuesday after the company's annual shareholder meeting[, among other things,] that until Intel migrates to a 10-nanometer process which makes the chips much more powerful and energy-efficient, the U.S. company's chips aren't a threat to TSMC's leading position in producing microprocessors for smartphones and tablets")
My comment:
(a) This report is NOT published in the US edition in print.
(b) Earlier this year, local newspapers in Albany New York (where a Globalfoundries fab is nearby) trumpted TSMC might build a fab there. I did not know whether it was wishful thinking, for TSMC has a long-standing policy not to build fabs outside Taiwan, afraid of losing track of foreign fabs.
(c) TSMC "operates a chip plant in Camas, Wash."
(i) WaterTech
www.wafertech.com/en/index.html
(founded in 1996; the first foundry in US)
is also the largest (foundry), according to Wikipedia (thiough I have not heard of it).
(ii) Camas, Washington
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camas,_Washington
(incorporated in 1906, the city is named after the camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans)
(d) "TSMC is manufacturing core chips for Apple's iPhones and iPads at its latest 20-nanometer factory."
But WSJ does not offer proof. TSMC has always kept its mouth shuts about who their clients are.
(e)
(i) Intel built 3D, 22nm "in a high volume logic process beginning in 2011."
(ii) Intel avers that it will release 14nm (codename Broadwell) in 4Q14 (putting off a bit, from 1Q14). After that it will be 10 nm for Intel.
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