TSMC is in discussions with Elon Musk regarding potential involvement in the Terafab chip manufacturing project in Texas. However, the parties have not yet reached an agreement on the operational structure of the facility.
TSMC CEO C. C. Wei stated that the company insists on maintaining full operational control over any factory it is involved with. Conversely, Musk aims to retain management and construction control, suggesting TSMC could lease specific production capacity instead.
TSMC has already dispatched a team of specialists to Texas to evaluate local manufacturing conditions. The company remains open to US localization, as North American clients accounted for 79% of its revenue in the third quarter.
Expanding production outside of Taiwan impacts TSMC's gross margin. The company estimates a 2 percentage point decline this year, with a potential increase to 3–4 percentage points in the coming years. Currently, TSMC maintains a gross margin of 66.4%.
TSMC is currently developing 20 new factories, 13 of which are located in Taiwan. Additionally, the company is preparing its second Arizona facility for production by the third quarter of next year and plans to launch 3nm production in Japan by 2028.
