‘They would not listen to us’: inside Arizona’s troubled $53bn chip plant::Taiwanese microchip manufacturer TSMC blames struggle to build Phoenix plant on skilled labor shortage but workers cite disorganization and safety concerns

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    The success of the plant – in a crucial swing state – is likely to get even more scrutiny as Biden prepares for the 2024 election cycle and US tensions with China over technology, and Taiwan, escalate.

    Boosting US production will add thousands of jobs as well as securing US supplies at a time of worsening relations with China, whose rapidly growing industry accounts for about 9% of global semiconductor sales.

    The worker also criticized frequent evacuations of the job site that occurred mostly due to false alarms and other communication issues that delayed work.

    “To ensure this critical phase of tool installation goes smoothly and successfully, it is a very common practice in the semiconductor industry to have a very limited number of experienced specialists from different overseas locations onsite to assist with important steps in the process.

    In a 2022 interview, TSMC’s founder, Morris Chang, said the facility struggled to find enough staff and that costs exceeded expectations and told the then House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, during a visit to Taiwan the same year that US efforts to rebuild chip manufacturing domestically were “doomed to fail”.

    TSMC is economically vital to Taiwan, which has faced increasing diplomatic and military pressure from China as the company is expanding its global production with historic investments in the US.


    The original article contains 1,824 words, the summary contains 218 words. Saved 88%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • fluxion@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      TSMC’s founder, Morris Chang, said the facility struggled to find enough staff and that costs exceeded expectations and told the then House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, during a visit to Taiwan the same year that US efforts to rebuild chip manufacturing domestically were “doomed to fail”.

      Well that’s reassuring

      • darganon@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I’m not an expert, and definitely talking out of my ass, but maybe the people that have a vested interest in Taiwan not being a part of China may try to dissuade the US from their fabrication efforts to maintain their chip production based relevance on the world stage.