TSMC’s Arizona factory drives immigration wave, Taiwanese food and cultural bridge rises in Phoenix

About 15 minutes south of TSMC's Phoenix campus is CactiFlower Restaurant, a restaurant specializing in Taiwanese home-cooked cuisine. The owner is Elizabeth Heubusch.

TSMC has invested a record $265 billion in the United States, and many people have moved from Taiwan to Arizona to support TSMC's rapid expansion north of Phoenix. US media kjzz Phoenix reported how restaurant owners from Taiwan gave authentic Taiwanese food a "soft landing" and relieved the life pressure of TSMC employees. The connection between Taiwan and Phoenix dates back to 1979; the mayor of Phoenix and the Arizona senator also pointed out the importance of TSMC's investment and production to the United States and the world.

In 2020, TSMC invested US$12 billion in its first round, and a factory located at the intersection of Interstate 17 and Ring Road 303 has been put into operation. Now, TSMC plans to build a total of 12 facilities for manufacturing, advanced packaging and research and development. About 15 minutes south of the TSMC campus is CactiFlower Restaurant, a restaurant that specializes in Taiwanese home-cooked food.

The owner, Elizabeth Heubusch, took reporters into the kitchen and watched her make a dish called braised pork rice. The dish is made with pork belly on top of rice, and she adds a fried egg and some nori on the side.

Elizabeth said: "The uncompromising Taiwanese food makes people feel at home when they taste it. From the presentation to the appearance and smell, everything is a complete experience for us." "Sometimes they come after get off work and say, 'I just want a taste of home. I had a bad day,'" she said.

Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in Taiwan. Now she lives in Phoenix, where she is working to grow her business to meet the needs of the city's growing Taiwanese-American population. She hopes to provide a cultural soft landing for immigrants from Taiwan.

Elizabeth said she hopes her restaurant can serve as a cultural bridge between Taiwanese and Americans as more Taiwanese gain new opportunities in Phoenix.

Additionally, developers are working to meet growing community needs. Halo Vista is a proposed 2,300-acre development adjacent to the TSMC campus that will include residential, dining and shopping.

This summer, the Taiwanese government announced plans to open a cultural and economic office in Phoenix to provide consular services to Taiwanese citizens in Arizona.

TSMC may have been the catalyst for growing ties between Arizona and Taiwan, but Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the ties between the two governments go back decades. Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, and Phoenix became sister cities in 1979.

In the 1970s, Arizona showed early interest in Taiwan's booming industrial sector. At the same time, Gallego said Arizona also hopes to loosen its ties with China.

Arizona Department of Commerce Secretary Sandra Watson said leaders are once again looking to Taiwan as the state seeks to diversify its economy after the 2008 housing crisis. Watson said she first visited TSMC in 2013 as part of the state's efforts to boost its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.

Since then, the economic and geopolitical value of the computer chips produced by TSMC has continued to grow. Watson said that in the past three years alone, trade between Taiwan and Arizona has jumped from $3 billion to more than $21 billion. "So, in a very short period of time, we've seen a significant increase in the number of these transactions," Watson said.

Artificial intelligence is currently a major driver of economic growth in the United States, and technology companies have invested billions of dollars in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly said this makes access to TSMC chips more important than ever. "If we lose the supply of TSMC semiconductor chips in Taiwan, it is estimated that we could lose 10% of our gross domestic product (GDP) within one or two years," Kelly said.

Kelly sponsored the Chip and Science Act, a bill designed to provide funding to support domestic computer chip production. He said it was a matter of national security as China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan.