Recruitment issues delays TSMC’s US expansion
The company’s US fab is reportedly struggling with delays due to a shortage of qualified and experienced workers and the ongoing pandemic.
Back in May of 2020 TSMC announced its intention to build and operate an advanced semiconductor fab in the United States. The site – which is being built in Phoenix, Arizona – have been struggling with issues related to the recruitment of staff and the pandemic. According to a report from Nikkei, the project is already three to six months behind schedule.
Inside sources told the newspaper that the main cause of the delays stems from issues related to recruiting qualified staff, covid isolation – and US building regulations and construction licensing are also said to have caused delays.
In its original announcement of the USD 12 billion expansion to the US, TSMC said that it was targeting to start production in 2024. TSMC also said that it would create 1'900 new full-time jobs – which would be phased in over a five-year period.
The Nikkei report points to Intel’s USD 20 billion expansion in Chandler, Arizona – a 30 minute drive from Phoenix – as one of the reasons for the Taiwanese company’s struggles to find qualified employees.
