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November 15, 2024 – 23:10
The US government announced this Friday that it will allocate up to $6.6 billion to the Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC to help it develop a production plant for next-generation processors near Phoenix, Arizona (west).
This subsidy is given within the framework of the CHIPS Act, a law approved in 2022 at the request of US President Joe Biden to strengthen this cutting-edge industry, but which the president-elect, Donald Trump, intends to dismantle when he reaches the White House.
Washington participates in the financing announced last April for the creation of three new generation laboratories, which totals 65 billion dollars.
The new facilities should allow the production of cutting-edge chips that until now are not manufactured in the United States.
«It is one of the most coveted technologies in the world. At the moment, the United States does not manufacture any type of cutting-edge chip. I want to remind everyone that these are the chips that power artificial intelligence or quantum computers. “They are in cutting-edge military equipment,” insisted the Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, in statements to the press.
In addition to the construction of three new manufacturing centers, TSMC’s investments near Phoenix should promote the creation of “tens of thousands of jobs by the end of the decade,” Biden said, quoted in a statement from the Department of Transportation. Trade.
According to government officials, the measures already adopted by TSMC could allow a very rapid disbursement of the first $1 billion.
The new facilities are scheduled to begin production early next year and, at full capacity, will be able to manufacture “tens of millions of next-generation chips that will be used in a wide range of products, such as 5G and 6G smartphones, vehicles autonomous, high-performance computers and artificial intelligence,” detailed the Department of Commerce.
In addition to the direct financing of $6.6 billion, the US government will provide $5 billion in loans at preferential rates to the Taiwanese giant, as part of the $75 billion loan package also included in the CHIPS Act.
The funds are intended to support research and development in this field, given that much of the current semiconductor supply chain, from manufacturing to packaging, is concentrated in a handful of Asian countries, led by China, Taiwan and South Korea.
The United States currently accounts for less than 10% of global semiconductor production, according to the White House. It reached 40% of the production.
At midday, the Taiwanese giant’s shares fell 1.40% on Wall Street.
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