TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said Thursday most of TSMC's R&D will remain in Taiwan amid concerns the firm is moving too much of its advanced technology to the US.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Wei held a press conference at the Presidential Office to address TSMC’s plans to invest NT$3.29 trillion (US$100 billion) to build five more facilities in the US. When asked about Trump’s call to repeal the CHIPS Act and whether TSMC had secured tax incentives or subsidies from the US in exchange for investment, Wei said, “I can honestly tell you that I only ask for fairness. We are not afraid of competition.”
Wei said no matter where TSMC builds its production lines, "we will always be the best. So, even without subsidies, we are not afraid."
Wei emphasized that TSMC’s decision to invest in the US was not driven by subsidies but by customer demand. He explained that TSMC's success comes from continuous customer discussions, fostering mutual trust.
While TSMC is not the only company capable of developing advanced technology, Wei said its strong collaboration with suppliers and customers enables it to advance rapidly, giving it a competitive edge.
When asked whether setting up an R&D center in the US would weaken Taiwan’s R&D competitiveness, Wei said centers in America and Taiwan serve different purposes. He said TSMC’s production lines have a unique characteristic compared to global competitors.
Wei said that after a process technology is developed by its researchers and enters the production stage, the production line team continues to refine and optimize the process.
Wei said the engineers responsible for process improvements are also referred to as R&D personnel, but differ from those who develop new process technologies. For example, Wei said TSMC’s 5nm technology was developed by R&D personnel, while the 4nm process was an optimization by the production line.
Similarly, the 3nm process was developed by R&D personnel, whereas N3P (an enhanced 3nm chip) was refined by the production line. These advancements ensure continuous technological progress, and TSMC refers to this as R&D as well, the CEO said.
Wei added that TSMC’s 1nm chip development is led by its R&D personnel, with around 10,000 researchers in Taiwan. The R&D center in the US will have around 1,000 people, mainly focused on improving production line technologies at its US fabs, said Wei.
The CEO said this allows the US facilities to optimize their processes without needing to seek approval from Taiwan for every decision, which is consistent with TSMC’s standard production line approach.
