TSMC’s Arizona fab delays could squeeze Bitcoin mining chip supply through 2027

TSMC, the company responsible for manufacturing roughly 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, now expects its second Arizona fabrication plant to begin high-volume production in the second half of 2027. The reason? Inspections and calibrations are taking longer than anticipated, a polite way of saying that building cutting-edge chip factories on American soil is proving to be extraordinarily difficult. The $165 billion reality check TSMC has committed approximately $165 billion to its Arizona operations. That figure is backstopped by $6.6 billion in CHIPS Act grants and $5 billion in federal loans, making it one of the largest foreign manufacturing investments in US history. TSMC CEO C.C. Wei has stated that building fabs in the US takes at least twice as long as constructing equivalent facilities in Taiwan. The company’s CFO has noted that new fabs require “thousands of specialized workers and years of calibration” before they can achieve high-volume manufacturing standards. Equipment installation for the second Arizona fab is currently slated for the third quarter of 2026, with volume production following roughly a year later. The delays stem from workforce shortages, ...