TSMC to consider Taiwan sites

TAIPEI: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world´s largest contract chipmaker, will consider sites in Taiwan before offshore options when it decides the location of a multi-billion dollar foundry early next year, a company spokeswoman said on Thursday.

In January, TSMC Chairman Morris Chang said he would not rule out the development of a U.S. plant but that such a move would involve sacrifices for both the company and consumers, pointing to the logistical benefits of being able to shift engineers across the firm´s Taiwan factories.

"We do not exclude locations in other countries, but a Taiwan location will be our first consideration," acting spokeswoman Elizabeth Sun told reporters on the sidelines of a shareholders´ meeting on Thursday.

She said the Taiwan government was helping the company find the ideal location for the 3-nanometer chip plant.

TSMC, a major supplier to Apple Inc, has also flagged plans for the development of 5-nanometer chip plant.

A Taiwan location for that factory is under review, Sun said. The company´s deliberations about its production base come even as other tech heavyweights, like Taiwan´s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, which goes by the trade name of Foxconn, and Japan´s SoftBank Group Corp, look to deepen investment in their U.S. businesses.

This follows Donald Trump´s presidential win last year, built on a campaign promise to boost American manufacturing and protect local jobs.