A look at TSMC's first plant in Phoenix that has achieved chip output rates comparable to its Taiwan facilities, as its Taiwanese engineers teach US workers
TSMC's Arizona operation has relied heavily on personnel from Taiwan: earlier coverage put them at about half of the 2,200-person workforce, while employees described culture clashes between TSMC's operating model and its Arizona workplace. The resulting Taiwanese community has become a visible part of north Phoenix.
Phoenix gains evidence that its initial fab can run at output rates comparable to TSMC facilities in Taiwan, strengthening the case for TSMC's confirmed Arizona expansion plans.
Taiwanese engineers remain central to transferring TSMC's production methods, making worker training a core operating requirement rather than a one-time construction task.
Second-order effects
Intel and Amkor face a sharper local benchmark for hiring and retaining specialized manufacturing talent as Phoenix develops into a multi-company US chip hub.
Phoenix-area housing, schools and services serving TSMC families become more directly tied to the fab's ability to retain Taiwanese specialists while developing US-based teams.
Third-order effects
If comparable performance persists as the Arizona footprint grows, US semiconductor capacity will be defined not only by new fab construction but by whether overseas manufacturing know-how can be reproduced locally.
The Phoenix experience points to a more durable model of cross-border chip production: capacity expansion coupled with long-term workforce and community integration, rather than equipment investment alone.
The trend: Semiconductor reshoring is shifting from announcing fab capacity to proving that production systems and skilled workforces can be replicated outside their original manufacturing base.
I went to Phoenix to spend time with the Taiwanese community. TSMC will invest $265 billion and send thousands of engineers and their families, which marvel at their new lives in the Sunbelt My first feature as a contributing writer to the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/…
@jonasnahm
Jonas Nahm on x
1/ Dan Wang's NYT essay on TSMC's Arizona plant argues that TSMC is doing for America what Apple did for China. But the analogy rests on two assumptions and it's not clear that either one of them is holding. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@alecmacgillis
Alec MacGillis on x
Striking detail in the big NYT piece on Taiwanese families adjusting to working at the huge new TSMC chip plant in Arizona: their surprise at the lack of rigor in US schools.
@toly
@toly on x
The full immigrant experience is only complete once the second-generation kids disappoint their parents.
@dennisw5
Dennis Wilder on x
Is it the current convention to call them “Taiwanese workers” rather than workers from Taiwan. I have always thought that Taiwanese was reserved for the ethnic group?
@jordanschneider
Jordan Schneider on x
it's not fair how good dan is at this
@heguisen
Chris Horton on x
So much interesting detail in this piece by @danwwang, a fascinating on-the-ground look at the new dynamic between the US and Taiwan. Would have retweeted this with a memorable quote from the piece, but there were too many.
@bradwilcoxifs
Brad Wilcox on x
Striking but not surprising
r/neoliberal
r on reddit
Opinion | The Most Important Factory in America
@thomasgalvin
@thomasgalvin on x
“TSMC's July announcement to... raise total investment to $265 billion is an obvious sign of confidence in Arizona's operations.” Compelling piece by @danwwang on why TSMC Factory here in @MaricopaCounty could “save” US manufacturing https://www.nytimes.com/... via @NYTOpinion
@patrickmcgee_
Patrick McGee on x
I, too, think TSMC Arizona is wildly important for America. Great article from @danwwang — “ TSMC is doing for America what Apple did for China” https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]
@frankpasquale
Frank Pasquale on bluesky
“I asked a half-dozen of the kids about their experiences in high school. They were relieved that American classes are so much easier than those in Taiwan.” — www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/o...