PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The giant semiconductor manufacturing plant in north Phoenix is celebrating a major milestone as TSMC now mass-produces one of the newest chips used for AI around the world.
The achievement marks a partnership with Nvidia, the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, and signals high demand for computer chips built at TSMC that translates into high-paying jobs for the Valley.
Cheers and celebration filled the largest semiconductor manufacturing plant in Arizona on Friday afternoon as Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, came to Phoenix to join the celebration. TSMC is building six fabrication plants, or fabs, in north Phoenix and investing $165 billion to do it.
“For the very first time in American history, in recent American history, the single most important chip is being manufactured here in the United States by the most advanced fab at TSMC here in the United States,” Huang said.
The joint venture between the two technology giants focuses on building the Blackwell wafer, a critical component for AI data centers around the world. These large wafers are considered the key to success in the competitive race to power artificial intelligence.
Across the Valley, Intel, another giant in the semiconductor world, is also betting big on large wafers. Intel expanded its operations in Chandler, investing tens of billions of dollars in a new fab.
All of these companies together paint a picture of a healthy market for the types of jobs — construction and computer engineering — that Arizona has been looking for.
The semiconductor business is notoriously cutthroat and it’s difficult for any one company to stay at the forefront of the industry. But having these three giants, TSMC, Nvidia and Intel, all investing billions of dollars in the local economy is a good sign that the job market will look good for years to come.
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