Morris Chang, CEO at Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:TSM), confirms that his company is considering to have another U.S. factory, but says the chase has nothing to do with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Taipei Times reports Chang said at the annual Supply Chain Management Forum in Taiwan that the United States is one of countries in their list but that has no connection with Apple.
State officials in New York and Oregon are trying to attract a strange project named “Project Azalea”. Documents related to the New York project propose it’s a huge semiconductor factory, and rumor within the chip industry eyed on TSMC, the world’s top contract maker of computer chips.[article_detail_ad_1]
Rumor has it that TSMC was looking for the site that could help it winning the contract to manufacture mobile chips for Apple products such as iPhone and iPad. Apple has been broadly saying that it is looking for a replacement to its current supplier, Samsung, which is engaged in a series of patent disputes with Apple over their competitor smartphones and tablets.
Chang’s comments were apparently made last week but noted by EETimes today have provided the strongest direct evidence that TSMC has something to do with “Azalea”.
TSMC already owns one U.S. chip factory, an older site called WaferTech in Southwest Washington. The site employs trailing-edge technology and has a room to grow but there is no sign that TSMC is going for an expansion there.
Stocks of both companies were down in morning session today.