半导体行业观察·2025-08-25 01:46Core Viewpoint - TSMC is accelerating the construction and production timelines of its Arizona factories in response to strong demand from major clients like Apple, AMD, and NVIDIA, despite the higher costs associated with U.S. manufacturing [2][3][4]. Group 1: TSMC's Expansion Plans - TSMC's first Arizona factory is set to begin mass production of 4nm technology in Q4 2024, with plans for the second factory to adopt 3nm technology and potentially start production as early as 2026 [2][5]. - The third factory is under construction and will utilize 2nm and A16 process technologies, with production timelines being expedited due to strong AI-related demand [3][10]. - TSMC's overall investment in U.S. facilities is projected to reach $165 billion, including six wafer fabs and two advanced packaging plants [5]. Group 2: Client Demand and Pricing - Major clients, including NVIDIA and OpenAI, are increasingly relying on TSMC for advanced semiconductor manufacturing, with NVIDIA's CEO confirming orders for various products including CPUs and GPUs [2][3]. - AMD's CEO noted that chips produced in Arizona are 5% to 20% more expensive than those made in Taiwan, reflecting the higher operational costs in the U.S. [4]. - TSMC has acknowledged that the higher costs of U.S. production will dilute its gross margins by approximately 2% to 3% in the initial years, increasing to 3% to 4% later on [3][7]. Group 3: Financial Performance - TSMC's Arizona factory has begun contributing positively to revenue, reporting an investment gain of 6.447 billion TWD, marking a significant turnaround after four years of losses [7]. - The profitability of the Arizona facility is attributed to high capacity utilization, with major clients like Apple and AMD filling orders rapidly [7][8]. - In contrast, TSMC's Kumamoto factory in Japan continues to operate at a loss due to lower capacity utilization and market demand challenges [7][8]. Group 4: Future Production Capacity - TSMC plans to ramp up production capacity for its 2nm technology, with expectations of reaching a monthly capacity of 100,000 wafers by the end of 2026 [11]. - The company is adjusting its production plans based on client demand and market conditions, ensuring that the expansion in the U.S. does not significantly detract from its Taiwanese operations [11].