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In
January, TSMC Chairman Morris Chang had said the company did not
rule out the idea of building a U.S. foundry, joining a slew of
global firms from automakers to luggage makers that are
considering manufacturing in the United States amid President
Donald Trump's push to create more jobs.
"We won't make a decision until next year," TSMC spokesperson
Michael Kramer said. The company currently gets about 65 percent
of its total revenue from the United States.
"We would sacrifice some benefits if we move to the States. But
we have flexibility in Taiwan. If an earthquake happened for
instance (in Taiwan), we could send thousands of people here as
support, whereas it's harder in the States," he told Reuters.
Local media CNA news agency reported on Monday that TSMC would
make a decision on the plant in the first half of 2018, citing
unnamed sources.
The report also said TSMC was considering a T$500 billion
($16.41 billion) investment for the plant.
The consideration for a U.S. plant comes at a time when TSMC is
reportedly looking at investing in Toshiba Corp's chip business.
An industry source familiar with the matter said TSMC was deeply
interested in the Toshiba unit.
(This story has been refiled to corrects Apple RIC)
(Reporting by Jess Macy Yu and J.R. Wu in Taipei; Editing by
Himani Sarkar)
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