Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) planned factory in the United States is making "fast progress", according to the company's chairman, Mark Liu. Despite facing delays due to worker shortages and reported union disputes, the morale of the Arizona-based staff remains high and has made significant advancements in recent months, Liu said on Wednesday.
The plant, which marks one of the largest foreign investments in the U.S., has been delayed until 2025, a situation TSMC attributes to a shortage of skilled workers. In response to this issue, technicians are being flown in to train the U.S. foundry's staff. Liu attributed the progress to Arizona state and city officials' unanimous support in helping TSMC resolve all issues, including labor disputes.
The company's comments on skilled worker shortages had sparked criticism from Arizona's unions, leading to scathing op-eds in local outlets alleging that TSMC was trying to justify bringing in Taiwanese workers. In response, Liu acknowledged that the company has been "boosting our communication recently" with the local union and community.
In addition to its U.S. efforts, last month TSMC agreed to invest $3.8 billion into a new semiconductor factory in Germany, marking its first foray into Europe. The main focus of this factory would be on chips for the automotive industry.
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