Four new TSMC chip factories may be coming to Arizona

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced Thursday it plans to spend an extra $100 billion to grow its U.S. business, saying the money will likely help add four new fabrication plants in Arizona. The company said the new factories would make some of the world's most advanced computer chips, 2-nanometer and smaller. Those new factories would be added to TSMC's big Arizona project in the North Valley. The company has already announced a $165 billion expansion that includes six chip plants, two advanced-packaging facilities, and a research and development center. All together, the company's total promised investment in U.S. chipmaking now looks like roughly $265 billion. The extra $100 billion is meant to support the strong multiyear demand from leading U.S. customers, said C.C. Wei, TSMC's chairman and CEO, during the company's earnings call. TSMC also said it plans to spend even more money this year to build and upgrade equipment, raising its budget to $60 billion to $64 billion, up from its earlier estimate of $52 billion to $56 billion. TSMC on Thursday reported a record 706.6 billion new Taiwan dollars ($22 billion) in net profit for the April-June quarter, up 77% from a year earlier. Revenue was up 36% year-on-year during the quarter, to 1.27 trillion new Taiwan dollars ($39 billion).