The construction completion date for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s new chip facility may be put off.
The Hsinchu, Taiwan-based company announced plans more than two years ago to build what will be its second manufacturing facility in metro Phoenix at a site at the intersection of Loop 303 and 43rd Avenue.
Originally, TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker, said it hoped to see the new facility opened for business and in production by the fall of 2024.
But now, Mark Liu, the chairman of the company, has suggested that the opening date may not occur until sometime in 2025.
“We are now entering a critical phase of handling and installing the most advanced and dedicated equipment,” Liu has remarked in a call with analysts focusing on the company’s third quarter 2023 earnings.
“However, we are encountering certain challenges as there is an insufficient number of skilled workers with those with specialized expertise required for equipment installation in a semiconductor-grade facility,” he continued.
Liu added that TSMC is partly working on improving the situation by “sending experienced technicians from Taiwan to train the local skilled workers for a short period of time.”
The new skilled workers will be added to a labor force of some 12,000 workers helping to build the Arizona facilities.
The challenges with the Arizona project come as TSMC has also announced plans to spend just under $3 billion to build a new advanced chip plant in Taiwan. That plant will be used to meet a growing worldwide demand for artificial intelligence products.
By Garry Boulard
