TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday said he expects TSMC will boost its investment in US manufacturing to over NT$6.26 trillion (US$200 billion), creating 30,000 jobs.
Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly implemented tariffs on certain industries to encourage the reshoring of US manufacturing, while criticizing subsidies for foreign companies, per CNA. He had threatened to impose tariffs on semiconductors but indicated that companies committing to build or already building plants in the US could be exempt.
In a CNBC interview, Lutnick said that the previous Biden administration provided TSMC with "US$6 billion (NT$188 billion) to build US$60 billion worth of plants. Now we thought that was not right.” He claimed that TSMC’s planned investment was later increased to NT$5.04 trillion.
“I think we are going to get them up to US$200 plus billion in plants in America. 30,000 jobs, that is what we are supposed to do," said Lutnick.
TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor foundry, had originally planned to build three fabs in Arizona.
In early March, the company announced an additional investment of at least NT$3.29 trillion in the US to construct three more fabs, two advanced packaging facilities, and one R&D center. This brings TSMC’s total planned investment in the US to NT$5.17 trillion.
