Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is meeting with local ecosystem partners, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), to discuss strategies, including long-term manufacturing, to navigate uncertainties such as US tariffs, as Taiwan occupies an important position in global supply chains.
AMD chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) told reporters that Taiwan is an important part of the chip designer’s ecosystem and she is discussing with partners and customers in Taiwan to forge strong collaborations on different areas during this critical period.
AMD has just become the first artificial-intelligence (AI) server chip customer of TSMC to utilize its advanced 4-nanometer process technology in Arizona to produce its new server chip.
Photo courtesy of AMD
The US company is also working with TSMC to produce next-generation server chips, dubbed Venice, using 2-nanometer technology, paving the way for commercial launch next year, it said.
Su, who on Monday met with TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Hsinchu, said that TSMC is at the center of AMD’s overall partnership ecosystem.
“We are discussing some strategies ... One is to think about what our long-term manufacturing strategy is, and then also some of the things that we will do in the short term to ensure that we continue to support our customers,” Su told reporters when asked what the discussions would involve.
“Of course, US manufacturing is a key priority for us as a US company,” Su said. “But we also have a lot of customers around the world, and we have a very strong partner network in our supply chain. So we will work with all of our partners to navigate some of these uncertainties.”
AMD is monitoring the tariff situation very carefully, Su said in response to a reporter’s question about the imminent semiconductor probes that the administration of US President Donald Trump said it would launch in preparation for levying more tariffs on imported chips.
Su said she had the chance to talk with the US government and would continue the discussions as part of the company’s overall manufacturing and research and development strategy.
“Well, I think when I look at all of the various things, the key point is that semiconductors are so important in the world,” Su said. “And I think this is one of the things that we have seen. So, every government is, of course, thinking about their policies.”
From AMD’s standpoint, the company wants a very resilient supply chain and Taiwan continues to be an important part of that supply chain, Su said.
But the US is also going to be very important, she added.
AMD is expanding its work in the US, including its collaboration with TSMC and other key supply chain partners, she said.
Shares of contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) came under pressure yesterday after a report that Apple Inc is looking to shift some orders from the Taiwanese company to Intel Corp. TSMC shares fell NT$55, or 2.4 percent, to close at NT$2,235 on the local main board, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. Despite the losses, TSMC is expected to continue to benefit from sound fundamentals, as it maintains a lead over its peers in high-end process development, analysts said. “The selling was a knee-jerk reaction to an Intel-Apple report over the weekend,” Mega International Investment Services Corp (兆豐國際投顧) analyst Alex Huang
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to remain Apple Inc’s primary chip manufacturing partner despite reports that Apple could shift some orders to Intel Corp, industry experts said yesterday. The comments came after The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Apple and Intel had reached a preliminary agreement following more than a year of negotiations for Intel to manufacture some chips for Apple devices. Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (台灣經濟研究院) economist Arisa Liu (劉佩真) said TSMC’s advanced packaging technologies, including integrated fan-out and chip-on-wafer-on-substrate, remain critical to the performance of Apple’s A-series and M-series chips. She said Intel and Samsung
TRANSITION: With the closure, the company would reorganize its Taiwanese unit to a sales and service-focused model, Bridgestone said Bridgestone Corp yesterday announced it would cease manufacturing operations at its tire plant in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), affecting more than 500 workers. Bridgestone Taiwan Co (台灣普利司通) said in a statement that the decision was based on the Tokyo-based tire maker’s adjustments to its global operational strategy and long-term market development considerations. The Taiwanese unit would be reorganized as part of the closure, effective yesterday, and all related production activities would be concluded, the statement said. Under the plan, Bridgestone would continue to deepen its presence in the Taiwanese market, while transitioning to a sales and service-focused business model, it added. The Hsinchu
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has approved a capital budget of US$31.28 billion for production expansion to meet long-term development needs during the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The company’s board meeting yesterday approved the capital appropriation plan for purposes such as the installation of advanced technology capacity and fab construction, the world’s largest contract chipmaker said in a statement. At an earnings conference last month, TSMC forecast that its capital expenditure for this year would be at the higher end of the US$52 billion to US$56 billion range it forecast in January in response to robust demand for 5G, AI and