Taipei [Taiwan], September 28 : Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) approved applications filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to invest USD 44 billion in the United States since December 2020, as the contract chipmaker advanced its USD 265 billion overall investment plan in Arizona, according to a news report by Focus Taiwan.
Official records maintained by the MOEA's Department of Investment Review showed that the regulatory authority cleared seven separate outbound investment filings submitted by the foundry giant over this period. The initial green light, cleared in December 2020, permitted the company to transfer USD 30.001 million to establish its wholly owned American subsidiary, TSMC Arizona, laying the operational foundation for an expansive industrial buildout.
Following that baseline outlay, the ministry authorised successive tranches to reinforce capital backing for the state projects, including USD 3.47 billion later in December 2020, USD 3.5 billion in March 2023, USD 4.5 billion in September 2023, USD 5.0 billion in June 2024, USD 7.5 billion in September 2024, and USD 20 billion in July.
TSMC announced in March 2025 that it planned an additional USD 100 billion commitment in Arizona on top of an earlier USD 65 billion blueprint, aiming to raise the number of planned advanced wafer fabrication facilities there from three to six, alongside two advanced integrated circuit assembly units and a dedicated research facility.
At an investor conference in mid-July, TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei said the company would invest the additional USD 100 billion in Arizona to build four more wafer fabs and expand IC packaging capacity.
With capital flows accelerating, the ministry noted that TSMC appeared set to present subsequent investment petitions for administrative clearance. Underscoring that momentum, TSMC revised its 2026 capital expenditure target in July upward to between USD 60 billion and USD 64 billion, compared to the previously estimated span of USD 52 billion to USD 56 billion announced in mid-April.
The MOEA has said it is determined to maintain Taiwan's lead in the global semiconductor industry through three priorities: ensuring that the largest manufacturing capacity remains in Taiwan, ensuring that the most advanced technologies remain in the country and maintaining the most complete semiconductor industry ecosystem in Taiwan.
Even as capital poured into American manufacturing sites, the ministry underlined that the chipmaker retained its primary industrial gravity at home, operating 19 advanced wafer fabs and packaging facilities across Taiwan. The foundry actively advanced work on 13 additional facilities across Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.
On the technological frontier, the ministry observed that TSMC continued progressive process upgrades. The 2-nanometre node, representing the most sophisticated standard currently deployed in volume production, entered commercial manufacturing runs during the fourth quarter of last year.
Subsequent commercial rollouts for the proprietary A14 process remained projected to commence by 2028. Technical evaluations projected the A14 node to yield a 10 to 15 per cent speed enhancement at comparable electricity draw, or alternatively deliver a 25 to 30 per cent cut in overall power consumption at identical operating velocity compared to 2 nm wafers.