Wei Zhejia: TSMC evaluates the establishment of factories in the United States and sees no signs of slowing down

U.S. President Trump said that TSMC will expand investment in the United States. Wei Zhejia confirmed yesterday that it has sent a team to Texas for evaluation. (File photo)

[Reporter Lin Yiru/Reported by Hsinchu] Taiwan stocks fell sharply by 1,655 points yesterday, and TSMC held a tribunal after the market closed. Chairman and President Wei Zhejia shouted that "AI demand is still very strong and there are no signs of slowing down." In response to US President Trump's recent public statement that he had just completed a phone call with Wei Zhejia, he also confirmed that he had recently sent a team to Texas for evaluation and was also negotiating with a customer who plans to build an AI factory there. If the cooperation between the two parties takes shape, the wafer factory must still be operated by TSMC.

Discuss cooperation with customers who plan to build an AI factory in Texas

Wei Zhejia pointed out that the demand for AI is increasing day by day and the market is still very strong. The main driving forces include the popularization of generative AI applications, the increase in the adoption of open source AI models, the strong demand for AI accelerators, and the demand for AI CPUs and Netcom chips. The importance of semiconductors in the development trend of AI will continue to increase, creating more value opportunities for customers and TSMC.

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TSMC’s capital expenditure this year maintains its previous estimate of US$60 billion to US$64 billion. He pointed out that customer demand continues to be strong, and capital expenditures from 2026 to 2028 will be significantly higher than the past three years. TSMC has the ability to grasp the multi-year structural demand brought by AI. All AI participants are cooperating with TSMC and have high confidence in the long-term trend of AI and will increase investment to support customer needs.

If cooperation takes shape, the wafer fab will need to be operated by TSMC

Wei Zhejia pointed out that considering that most of its large customers are located in the United States, the United States will be the place where TSMC hopes to continue to expand production. In addition, the U.S. government also provides support. In order to find expansion opportunities outside the existing Arizona plant, TSMC has launched an evaluation related to setting up a plant in Texas and is discussing the possibility of production capacity cooperation with customers; however, it is still in the negotiation stage.

As for whether it is possible to adopt a model similar to the Japanese joint venture factory in the future? Wei Zhejia emphasized that there are different possibilities for cooperation structures. The principle is that the wafer fab must be operated by TSMC.

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