First, TSMC struggled to find skilled workers locally, a problem rarely encountered in Taiwan.
Second, cultural differences between TSMC’s Taiwanese management and American employees created unforeseen obstacles.
Perhaps most critically, navigating local regulations proved difficult for the global chip manufacturer.
However, these issues were not solely due to TSMC’s inexperience in the U.S. market.
Rather, they highlighted a fundamental gap in fab construction efficiency between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Taiwan has developedremarkable expertisein building semiconductor fabrication facilities, closely followed by China and Southeast Asia.
This efficiency is evident in the timelines and costs associated with fab construction across different regions.
European fab construction falls between these extremes, averaging about 34 months.
The cost disparity is equally striking.
The primary reason for Taiwan’s superior efficiency in fab construction is experience.
“Their supply chain is just unbelievably good,” Blaschitz explained.
This experience translates into a more streamlined construction process.
Taiwanese builders often work with less detailed information than their Western counterparts.
Today’s semiconductor manufacturing facilities are marvels of engineering and logistics.
A typical large-scale fab houses a 430,000-square-foot cleanroom containing 2,000 process tools.
The U.S. CHIPS Act aims to address this imbalance, but industry experts believe additional measures are necessary.
Blaschitz advocates for “virtual commissioning” as a potential solution.
