HSINCHU, TAIWAN (Reuters) – Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC has discussed with customers the possibility of moving its manufacturing plants out of Taiwan due to growing tensions with China, but such a move would be impossible, the company said on Tuesday. president of the company.
Speaking to reporters following the company’s annual shareholders meeting in Hsinchu, where TSMC is headquartered, CC Wei said that since 80% to 90% of the group’s production capacity is in Taiwan, it would be impossible to move the factories.
“The instability across the Taiwan Strait is indeed a factor to consider for the supply chain, but I want to say that we certainly do not want wars to happen,” said CC Wei to the press after the company’s annual general meeting.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that it had detected another Chinese “joint combat readiness patrol” consisting of 23 warplanes and warships operating near Taiwan.
Growing tensions between China and Taiwan were one of the main topics discussed at the annual Computex technology show in Taipei this week, where several Taiwanese chipmakers sought to downplay geopolitical risks.
“No one is worried about this yet,” Frank Huang, president of Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing, told reporters at the event when asked about possible pressure from foreign customers for Taiwanese companies to stop producing in Taiwan. due to tensions.
“I think there’s always military activity or showdowns, but again, Taiwan is so important for AI – even the Chinese know that. We’re fine, there’s no problem “, he added.
(Reporting by Faith Hung, Max Cherney and Ben Blanchard; Dimitri Rhodes, editing by Blandine Hénault)
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