Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is urging the White House to consider an exemption for tariffs on foreign-made semiconductors, saying that import restrictions could threaten the multibillion-dollar expansion of its Arizona fab site.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce, TSMC Arizona Secretary T.C. Morris Cheng wrote that tariffs and import restrictions could result in higher project costs and — in some cases — endanger commercial viability of many announced projects and those under construction in the U.S.
"New import restrictions could jeopardize current U.S. leadership in the competitive technology industry and create uncertainties for many committed semiconductor capital projects in the U.S., including TSMC Arizona’s significant investment plan in Phoenix," Cheng wrote. "It is important to note that cutting-edge semiconductors — such as those produced at TSMC Arizona — cannot function alone. They need to work in tandem with other semiconductor components, including varied legacy chips, to unleash their full power and functionality.”
In addition to TSMC, several other companies and industry groups responded to the Department of Commerce’s request for comments on semiconductor tariff impacts, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Intel Corp.
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