Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), Fab 5 building, Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan Credit: Peellden, Creative Commons
Semiconductor chips power just about every electronic device we use these days, from our phones to our laptops to our smart doorbells and house locks. But despite their ubiquity, making these chips is a complicated and hugely expensive process, dominated by a small number of manufacturing powerhouses.
This week, we’re looking at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, one of the world’s leading semiconductor fabrication companies, to get a better sense of the industry and how it operates. The company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Taiwan Stock Exchange, currently has 12 “fabs” (fabrication plants — aka, factories or foundries) around the world, with nine in Taiwan, one in the U.S. (in Washington state), and two in China.
The “Purest” Player
Though giants Intel and Samsung lead global semiconductor sales, TSMC ranks #1 among “pure-play” companies, which means it manufactures chips for others rather than designi
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Brands have long relied on social auditing companies to monitor their supply chains in China. But between the industry’s own flaws and a changing political environment in China, many say these reports aren't reliable. With the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act now going into effect, this lack of trust in the industry leaves many global companies — and those hoping to hold them accountable — in a tricky spot.
A key figure in the Trump administration, the former reporter and Marine talks about the reality of the Chinese Communist Party's ambitions, the value of concrete actions vs. rhetoric, how Xi was flummoxed by Trump,...
