TSMC, one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, concerned the US concerns about the new customs duties planned for imported chips through official channels. The company states that its comprehensive production investments in Arizona may be interrupted due to these new tariffs. In this context, in the letter sent to the US Department of Commerce on May 5, the potential effects of customs duties were discussed in detail. TSMC, the continuity of production and the healthy functioning of the supply chain, imports should be exempted from tax.
TSMC is working on three semiconductor factories, one in the city of Phoenix, one of which is about to be completed and the third is started. It is known that the company has allocated approximately 65 billion dollars for these three production facilities. In addition to these investments, it was announced that new facilities and centers of $ 100 billion are planned. This initiative, which reached $ 165 billion in total, stands out as a concrete step taken to play a larger role in the US chip production.
When it starts to work with full capacity, it is aimed to produce 100,000 wafers per month in the facilities in Arizona. This amount corresponds to approximately 30 percent of the company’s capacity of 2 most advanced Nanometer production technology. According to TSMC, this production volume will provide tens of thousands of new employment in the USA and indirectly contribute to $ 200 billion to the country’s economy. Therefore, it is emphasized that the legal regulations should be observed in the investment environment.
Tariffs that the US plans to implement can disrupt the production process
TSMC says that many special equipment and raw materials needed during the production process in the USA cannot be obtained as indigenous. This causes the company to remain dependent on the production chain. Increased restrictions on imports may lead to delays, especially in the supply of advanced technology production tools. This can affect not only the investment in Arizona, but also the US semiconductor production goals in general.
The US Department of Commerce is about to complete the investigation within the scope of Secion 232. In this context, the effects of the imported chips on national security are evaluated. The results of the evaluation are expected to be shared with the public after 26 May. In this process, the possibility of bringing new customs duties to 100 %of Taiwan products was also the subject of discussion.
TSMC, the US while making such a large production move to face tariffs, can lead to re -evaluation of investment decisions, he says. In the company’s opinion, chip production requires a global cooperation and local restrictions can weaken this structure. In addition, tariffs are expected to increase the final product prices. This may cause demand narrowing in the consumer electronics market.
One of the demands of TSMC is to exempt the import items of the import items of companies that produce large -scale chips. Thus, the sustainability of production plans in the US will be ensured. The company points out that a decision in this direction is important not only for TSMC, but also for the country’s general semicient production capacity. Because the United States aims to be less dependent on external production in the long run.
On the other hand, in case of implementation of customs duties, the chip production in the USA may lag behind the facilities in Asia in terms of competitiveness. This may reduce the effect of incentives given to promote domestic production in the country. Among the demands of the company, as well as supporting domestic production, not to close the front of imports. Otherwise, production continuity may be at risk.
TSMC’s investment in the Arizon is important not only with its production capacity, but also with the ecosystem it will create. The sub -industry and supply network that will be formed around the investment can provide economic vitality to the region. However, the formation of this ecosystem depends on the maintenance of production without interruption. For this reason, the decisions to be taken should be evaluated multi -faceted.
The economic relations shaped by the production of chip between the US and Taiwan began to be tested with these new regulations. TSMC’s statements are closely related to the interests of a company, but also the functioning of the global supply chain. The decisions of the Ministry of Commerce in the coming period will directly affect both domestic production and international collaborations. Therefore, this process is closely monitored not only economic but also in its political dimensions.