The Trump administration is in talks with semiconductor firms about developing chip factories in the United States, representatives from two chipmakers claimed on Sunday.
Intel is in conversations with the United States Section of Defense around improving domestic sources for microelectronics and connected technological know-how, Intel spokesman William Moss mentioned in an emailed assertion.
“Intel is properly positioned to work with the US federal government to operate a US – owned business foundry and provide a broad assortment of protected microelectronics”, the assertion added.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), on the other hand, has been in talks with the US Office of Commerce about setting up a US manufacturing unit but explained it has not produced a last final decision yet.
“We are actively analyzing all the suitable spots, which includes in the US, but there is no concrete program nevertheless”, TSMC spokeswoman Nina Kao claimed in a statement.
Intel Main Govt Bob Swan wrote a letter to the Section of Defence in late March in which he expressed the company’s willingness to develop a foundry – a expression made use of in the marketplace to reference a chip manufacturing unit – in partnership with the Pentagon.
“This is much more significant than at any time, offered the uncertainty produced by the recent geopolitical ecosystem”, Swan wrote in the letter dated March 30 and viewed by Reuters on Sunday.
It comes amid rising diplomatic tensions involving the US and China for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak, with both equally sides trading barbs in excess of who is to blame for the unfold of the disease soon after currently becoming included in trade tensions for just about two several years.
“We currently feel it is in the finest fascination of the United States and of Intel to investigate how Intel could work a professional US foundry to supply a wide vary of microelectronics,” the letter from the Intel CEO additional.
The Trump administration’s discussions with chipmakers ended up claimed previously by the Wall Avenue Journal, with the report adding that TSMC also has been speaking with Apple, 1 of its premier customers, about creating a chip manufacturing facility in the United States.
TSMC declined to comment on the talks with the Iphone maker.
The Journal experienced also described that US officers are hunting at serving to South Korea’s Samsung, which has a chip manufacturing unit in Austin, Texas, to broaden its agreement-production operations in the United States. A Samsung spokeswoman in Seoul declined to comment on Monday.
The US Commerce Division and Apple did not react to requests for comment on Sunday.
© Thomson Reuters 2020
