Over Past Quarter, Wei Frequently Visited the U.S., Cautiously Responding to Trump
United Daily News Commentary, March 7, 2025
In just 60 hours, Chairman C. C. Wei of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) held press conferences accompanied by two presidents. As President Donald Trump of the United States remarked earlier at a White House press briefing, "No one has done what he has. He is truly a legend." Indeed, Wei has created a legendary chapter in the history of the global semiconductor industry.
However, TSMC’s $100 billion investment plan seems inconsistent with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s statement at a press conference on March 6 that “there is no pressure from the United States”
According to investigations, after attending the launch event for TSMC founder Morris Chang’s autobiography on December 9 last year, Wei was spotted at San Francisco Airport on the evening of December 10.
Wei did not disclose the purpose of his trip. However, based on his timing, it is speculated that he was meeting with the incoming designated U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, to understand follow-up details regarding American subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing and the White House’s future semiconductor policy direction. He was also likely meeting with major American clients to discuss orders and production capacity.
Later, during the Executive Yuan's 12th National Science and Technology Conference, Wei revealed that he had recently met with the world's richest man, Elon Musk, at a time coinciding with his U.S. visit.
According to sources, after President Trump took office on January 20, Wei, along with key executives such as Vice President of Operations T.S. Chang and Senior Vice President Cliff Hou promptly traveled to the United States following TSMC’s earnings call. This aligns with the fact that TSMC held its board meeting in the United States for the first time in February. It is believed that Lutnick had repeatedly proposed solutions to boost American semiconductor manufacturing and requested countermeasures from TSMC. This has led to market speculation that the Trump administration is pressuring TSMC to take over some of Intel’s wafer fabs. As a result, Wei and his team had to proceed cautiously, adapt to the situation, and report their solutions to the board.
Although Wei emphasized yesterday that the expansion of investment in the United States is entirely driven by customer demand rather than U.S. pressure, a senior semiconductor industry expert pointed out that if customer demand is truly so high, why not continue expanding production in Taiwan, rather than in the costly United States? This suggests the involvement of an "invisible hand," possibly directing American chip giants to keep their most advanced AI chip production within the United States. These customers, in turn, are requiring TSMC to expand its American manufacturing capacity.
With SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle proposing the "Stargate" initiative, planning a $500 billion investment in AI infrastructure, and Apple also announcing a $500 billion investment in server manufacturing, many AI-focused companies are turning to TSMC for chip production. However, these companies appear to be under pressure from the U.S. Department of Commerce to ensure that all chips are manufactured domestically, compelling TSMC to expand its American operations.
Furthermore, while TSMC asserts its commitment to investing in Taiwan, questions remain. Will TSMC's technology leak overseas? Can it secure President Trump's promise not to impose reciprocal tariffs on Taiwan? Will Taiwan's semiconductor industry position be weakened? These uncertainties were not addressed in yesterday’s press conference, leaving many questions unanswered—only time will tell.
From: https://udn.com/news/story/124400/8591646
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