Taiwan’s TSMC agrees to more construction oversight for Arizona fab

台灣台積電同意對亞利桑那州晶圓廠進行更嚴格建廠監督

TSMC and Arizona have signed a voluntary protection program

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) agreed to more scrutiny from Arizona regarding the safety of construction workers at its new plant under construction in the state, Governor Katie Hobbs said on Friday (Aug. 4).

Speaking at a press conference near the TSMC construction site in Phoenix, Hobbs announced that TSMC and the state had signed a voluntary protection program, according to AP. “Under this agreement, TSMC will adhere to requirements higher than those at the federal level,” Hobbs said.

“These additional safety measures include greater transparency for workers, closer oversight from the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and increased training for foremen and all hands,” the governor said. “We need to make sure that the standards set match the industry and the importance of the job,” AZ Family cited Hobbs as saying.

TSMC first announced the Arizona fab project in May 2020, saying it would spend US$12 billion (NT$380 billion) on it. In December 2022, it said it was upping that investment to US$40 billion and would later construct a second facility at the Phoenix site.

Construction started in 2021 on more than 445 hectares of land in north Phoenix. The first fab will produce TSMC’s 4nm chips and have a monthly capacity to produce 20,000 wafers per month.

TSMC has also taken some flak for bringing in Taiwanese workers to help with construction in Phoenix, AP said. However, TSMC said the jobs of the thousands of American workers already on site will not be affected, according to AP.

The Taiwanese chipmaker has been expanding its capacity overseas with plants being built in the U.S. and Japan. Reports have also said that TSMC is mulling a possible facility in Germany, although no official announcement has been made yet by the company.