Another semiconductor industry power player is reportedly looking to North Texas’ Silicon Prairie for its next chip manufacturing plant.
Wikimedia Commons/Peelden
Fab 5 building of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in Taiwan
Sherman has been identified as a leading candidate to score Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s massive fabrication facility, which could bring in a $120B investment, the Dallas Business Journal reported. State documents obtained by DBJ say TSMC found its next facility in Sherman would be the best.
The documents show that an unnamed semiconductor manufacturer is looking for a site in Texas for a $45B investment in the construction of two factories. However, Bloomberg reported earlier this month that TSMC is considering the Dallas-Fort Worth area for as many as six semiconductor facilities that would each carry a $20B price tag.
TSMC CEO CC Wei said during an earnings call on Oct. 15 that U.S. customers are asking them to expand their existing fabrication facilities in Phoenix.
“We are moving quickly to increase capacity to meet the estimated demand and increase capex investment to support future customer growth,” Wei said. “TSMC is expanding rapidly with nearly 20 fabs worldwide.”
Central Texas is also being considered for TSMC’s semiconductor expansion, the Austin Business Journal reported.
Sherman, a city about 60 miles north of Dallas, has become the center of North Texas’ Silicon Prairie push. It has made investments of more than $40B in large semiconductor factories from Texas Instruments, GlobalWafers and Coherent.
The city’s abundant land and prodigious water resources have been the key to success in attracting semiconductor plants, which is why the municipality of Grayson County is seen as a leading candidate for TSMC’s expansion.
“I think it’s the water that owns it [in Sherman] the only location in our market I see that has the volume in the capacity to feed that type of machine,” North Texas land broker Rex Glendenning told DBJ.
Sherman officials said the city has not been contacted about TSMC’s planned expansion.
Fort Worth has also been successful in attracting more companies connected to the semiconductor industry in recent years.