Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reiterated its plans for comprehensive water treatment and recycling facilities in Arizona, following reports that it could get mired down in “water politics” in the drought-affected US state.
TSMC said in a statement that it plans to construct a water recycling facility to meet the needs of its advanced wafer fabs in Phoenix, adding that it would also build a comprehensive wastewater treatment system to reduce consumption and increase efficiency.
The statement came after the US-based weekly Barron’s on Friday reported that TSMC might need to compete with agricultural users and Native American tribes in Arizona for access to water.
Photo: CNA
The report said Intel Corp’s advanced fabs in Arizona are expected to place additional pressure on TSMC’s water supply.
Citing an estimate from Phoenix officials, the report said TSMC could require up to 40,000 acre-feet (49 million cubic meters) of water a year if it builds six fabs as reported by foreign media, enough to supply 160,000 homes.
TSMC said it has been in contact with Phoenix officials since the initial planning stages of its fabs to ensure that it has sufficient water supplies.
TSMC in December last year said it would expand its investment in Arizona to US$40 billion from the original US$12 billion.
The company is to build a 4-nanometer and a 3-nanometer fab in the state, with the former expected to start mass production next year and the latter in 2026.
TSMC said that, to its knowledge, the authorities in Phoenix are keen to invest in water-related infrastructure to create a sustainable supply.
Phoenix, which can draw on water sources including the Colorado River, the Verde River, the Salt River and underground aquifers, has been designated by the state of Arizona as having a 100-year supply of water, TSMC said.
The company said wastewater released from its facilities would adhere to standards higher than those required by Arizona regulations.
ENERGY ISSUES: The TSIA urged the government to increase natural gas and helium reserves to reduce the impact of the Middle East war on semiconductor supply stability Chip testing and packaging service provider ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控) yesterday said it planned to invest more than NT$100 billion (US$3.15 billion) in building a new advanced chip testing facility in Kaohsiung to keep up with customer demand driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. That would be included in the company’s capital expenditure budget next year, ASE said. There is also room to raise this year’s capital spending budget from a record-high US$7 billion estimated three months ago, it added. ASE would have six factories under construction this year, another record-breaking number, ASE chief operating officer Tien Wu
The EU and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg. The EU and US would also cooperate on standards, investments and joint projects, as well as coordinate on any supply disruptions by countries like China. The two sides are additionally seeking other “like-minded partners” to join a multicountry accord to help create these new critical mineral supply chains, which feed into
For weeks now, the global tech industry has been waiting for a major artificial intelligence (AI) launch from DeepSeek (深度求索), seen as a benchmark for China’s progress in the fast-moving field. More than a year has passed since the start-up put Chinese AI on the map in early last year with a low-cost chatbot that performed at a similar level to US rivals. However, despite reports and rumors about its imminent release, DeepSeek’s next-generation “V4” model is nowhere in sight. Speculation is also swirling over the geopolitical implications of which computer chips were chosen to train and power the new
Intel Corp is joining Elon Musk’s long-shot effort to develop semiconductors for Tesla Inc, Space Exploration Technologies Corp and xAI, marking a surprising twist in the chipmaker’s comeback bid. Intel would help the Terafab project “refactor” the technology in a chip factory, the company said on Tuesday in a post on X, Musk’s social media platform. That is a stage in the development process that typically helps make chips more powerful or reliable. The chipmaker’s shares jumped 4.2 percent to US$52.91 in New York trading on Tuesday. The Terafab project is a grand plan by Musk to eventually manufacture his own chips for
RSS