TSMC’s Arizona Chip Production Yields Surpass Taiwan’s in Win for US Push
台积电在亚利桑那州的芯片生产产量超过台湾,成为美国推动的胜利
- Production yields in Arizona are 4 percentage points higher
亚利桑那州的生产收益高出 4 个百分点 - The Phoenix plant began trial production earlier this year
凤凰工厂今年早些时候开始试生产
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has achieved early production yields at its first plant in Arizona that surpass similar factories back home, a significant breakthrough for a US expansion project initially dogged by delays and worker strife.
台湾半导体制造公司在其位于亚利桑那州的第一家工厂实现了早期生产良率,超过了国内类似工厂的水平,这对一个最初受到延误和工人冲突困扰的美国扩张项目来说是一个重大突破。
The share of chips manufactured at TSMC’s facility in Phoenix that are usable is about 4 percentage points higher than comparable facilities in Taiwan, Rick Cassidy, president of TSMC’s US division, told listeners on a webinar Wednesday, according to a person who participated. The success rate, or yield, is a critical measure in the semiconductor industry because it determines whether companies will be able to cover the enormous costs of a chip plant.
在周三的一次网络研讨会上,台积电美国区总裁 Rick Cassidy 告诉听众,台积电在凤凰城工厂生产的可用芯片比例比台湾类似工厂高出约 4 个百分点。良率是半导体行业的一个关键指标,因为它决定了公司是否能够覆盖芯片厂的巨大成本。
The accomplishment is a sign of progress for Washington’s efforts to revitalize American semiconductor manufacturing. TSMC, the main chip manufacturing partner for Nvidia Corp. and Apple Inc., is in line to win $6.6 billion in government grants and $5 billion in loans — plus 25% tax credits — to build three fabrication facilities, or fabs, in Arizona. The award, like almost all others from the 2022 Chips and Science Act, isn’t yet finalized.
这一成就是华盛顿振兴美国半导体制造努力的进展标志。台积电,英伟达公司和苹果公司的主要芯片制造合作伙伴,预计将获得 66 亿美元的政府补助和 50 亿美元的贷款——加上 25%的税收抵免——在亚利桑那州建设三座制造厂。该奖励与 2022 年《芯片与科学法案》中的几乎所有其他奖励一样,尚未最终确定。
A TSMC spokesperson declined to comment directly on Cassidy’s event and referred to remarks from Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei on a call with investors last week.
台积电发言人拒绝直接对卡西迪的活动发表评论,并提到了首席执行官魏哲家上周与投资者通话时的言论。
“Our first fab entered engineering wafer production in April with 4-nanometer process technology, and the result is highly satisfactory, with a very good yield,” he said at the time. “This is an important operational milestone for TSMC and our customers, demonstrating TSMC’s strong manufacturing capability and execution.”
“我们的第一座晶圆厂在四月开始使用 4 纳米工艺技术进行工程晶圆生产,结果非常令人满意,良率非常好,”他当时表示。“这是台积电和我们的客户一个重要的运营里程碑,展示了台积电强大的制造能力和执行力。”
The two other chipmakers at the heart of the Biden administration’s tech strategy, Intel Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co., have struggled in recent months. Intel, slated to be the biggest beneficiary of the Chips Act, is under such severe financial pressure that it’s delaying global projects and considering selling off assets.
拜登政府科技战略核心的另外两家芯片制造商,英特尔公司和三星电子,最近几个月面临困境。英特尔被认为是《芯片法案》的最大受益者,但由于面临严重的财务压力,正在推迟全球项目并考虑出售资产。
TSMC, meanwhile, has been on a roll. Its shares reached a record high this month after the chipmaker topped quarterly estimates and raised its target for 2024 revenue growth.
台积电 meanwhile,一直表现出色。该公司的股票本月创下历史新高,此前这家芯片制造商超出了季度预期,并提高了 2024 年收入增长的目标。
The latest yield advancement is notable for TSMC because it has historically kept the most advanced and efficient plants in its home island of Taiwan. Its Arizona site got off to a rocky start, as the company couldn’t find enough skilled staff to install advanced equipment and workers struggled with safety and management issues. TSMC reached an accord with construction labor unions late last year.
最新的产量提升对台积电来说意义重大,因为它历史上一直将最先进和高效的工厂保留在其本岛台湾。其亚利桑那州的工厂起步艰难,因为公司无法找到足够的熟练员工来安装先进设备,工人们在安全和管理问题上也面临困难。台积电在去年底与建筑工人工会达成了一项协议。
The chipmaker originally planned to have its first Arizona plant start full production in 2024, but pushed back the target to 2025 over the labor issues. It later delayed the start date for its second fab to 2027 or 2028, from an initial target of 2026. That fueled concerns that the company might not be able to make chips in the US as efficiently as in Taiwan.
这家芯片制造商最初计划在 2024 年让其位于亚利桑那州的第一座工厂开始全面生产,但由于劳动力问题将目标推迟至 2025 年。随后,它将第二座工厂的开工日期推迟至 2027 年或 2028 年,最初的目标是 2026 年。这引发了人们对该公司在美国制造芯片的效率可能无法与台湾相媲美的担忧。
TSMC could now be keen to expand its US presence further, depending in part on the possibility of more government backing, Cassidy added, citing early conversations in Washington about a second Chips Act. There is room for at least six total fabs at the Phoenix complex.
台积电现在可能希望进一步扩大其在美国的存在,部分取决于更多政府支持的可能性,卡西迪补充道,并提到华盛顿关于第二个芯片法案的早期对话。凤凰城综合体至少还有六个晶圆厂的空间。
Wei conveyed optimism about the US push during the call last week.
魏在上周的电话中对美国的推动表示乐观。
“We now expect volume production of our first fab to start in the beginning of 2025, and are confident to deliver the same level of manufacturing quality and reliability from our fab in Arizona as from our fabs in Taiwan,” he said.
“我们现在预计我们的第一座工厂将在 2025 年初开始量产,并且有信心从我们在亚利桑那州的工厂提供与我们在台湾的工厂相同水平的制造质量和可靠性,”他说。
(Updates with earnings information in seventh paragraph. A previous version of this story was corrected to remove an inaccurate summary.)
(在第七段更新了收益信息。此故事的先前版本已更正,以删除不准确的摘要。)
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