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'Made in America' Apple Silicon to Lag Behind Taiwan's Output
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Basically, no.
TSMC's products are but one part of an Apple computer/phone, or Nvidia system.
Trump can try, but all he will end up doing is just driving the US into a depression.
Most of the chips that TSMC produces in its many plants don't end up in the US.
That's the problem, or at least one of them, with Trump and Americans who have his view of the world - they are myopic.
While the US still has the largest national GDP, of all nations, the US' share of the global economy continues to shrink.
This is why TSMC (and its companions) are the "shield" for Taiwan: the whole world benefits by the Taiwanese semiconductor industry.
The idea that "non-existent taxpayer money" is being wasted on "high-profit semiconductor companies" is exactly the kind of shortsighted, populist thinking that got the U.S. into this mess in the first place.
Let’s be real: the reason Taiwan’s semiconductor sector is strong isn’t because someone waved a magic wand — it’s because Taiwan spent decades building a cohesive industrial policy, while the U.S. let its manufacturing base rot in favor of short-term shareholder value. Intel didn’t fall behind overnight. It was death by a thousand Wall Street cuts.
And as for "non-existent money"? That’s a lazy take. Strategic industries require long-term investment, especially when capex is measured in tens of billions and ROI takes years. You can’t bootstrap your way into 3nm fabs with garage-startup logic.
Ironically, the same people whining about CHIPS Act subsidies are the ones who’ll scream the loudest when they realize the U.S. is dependent on a single company 7,000 miles away for advanced nodes.
Industrial policy isn’t about bailing out companies — it’s about securing national capability. Taiwan gets this. Korea gets this. Even China gets this. Meanwhile, half of America is still arguing whether science is real.
So no — this isn’t about "handouts." It’s about playing catch-up in a game you chose to ignore for 20 years.
Intel still has value.
If Broadcom really does want Intel's production capacity, but does not want the x86/x64 IP, maybe AMD can create some sort of holding group for that IP, and get the likes of Microsoft (and others) to help fund it (as AMD does not have the assets to do it alone.)
There is still an IC industry in the US, but most of it is for making product for the massive embedded market. Controllers, gate arrays, etc. don't need to try and push the device size down to the molecule, and many can't because they are (relatively) high current.
Overall, I see TSMC's US facilities mostly service in the consumer device market (watches, clocks, etc.) and industrial applications.
Finally, someone here with a macro view of the world. Couldn’t agree more with what picpicmac said.
People who think TSMC can just be forced to replicate its entire ecosystem in Arizona don’t understand how deeply entrenched the Taiwanese semiconductor ecosystem is — not just in engineering talent, but logistics, suppliers, and decades of accumulated process optimization.
Also, framing this in purely American terms misses the entire point. TSMC’s role is global, and any attempt to hijack it into a purely nationalistic model (like Trump’s tariff threats) would be counterproductive for everyone — including the U.S.
Taiwan’s value is not "because it serves America," but because it enables the entire digital economy to function. That’s why it deserves international support — not as a pawn, but as a keystone.
People praising Trump’s “tough” stance on semiconductors or expecting Intel to magically restore U.S. chip dominance need to understand what actually caused Intel’s decline — and it wasn’t just technical arrogance or bad management.
The real problem was Wall Street’s long-standing war against capital-intensive manufacturing.
For over two decades, American financial markets aggressively favored fabless models like Nvidia and Qualcomm — companies that design chips but don’t actually make them. Why? Because manufacturing is messy, expensive, and slow to return profits. Wall Street wants fast margins, not long-term national capability.
Intel, as one of the last U.S. companies committed to in-house manufacturing (IDM model), was punished by investors for prioritizing technical infrastructure over short-term gains. Under pressure, it cut capital expenditures, delayed fab upgrades, and even lost key engineering talent — all to make the balance sheet look prettier. This wasn’t laziness. It was slow-motion strangulation by shareholder capitalism.
You want to know why TSMC pulled ahead? Because Taiwan made the opposite bet. Its government saw the long game and invested in hard tech, even when it wasn’t sexy. And generations of engineers there stayed focused, while Intel was told to “just license your tech, outsource your fabs, and boost your EPS.”
Trump’s tariffs and bullying tactics won’t fix this — you can’t tariff your way out of a decades-long systemic decline caused by financialization. Manufacturing strength takes patient, coordinated industrial policy, not bravado on social media.
Biden’s CHIPS Act is at least a step in the right direction — trying to rebuild lost capability. But let’s not kid ourselves: Intel’s fall wasn’t due to lack of patriotism. It was due to an entire economic system that punished the very thing America now suddenly realizes it needs.
Sorry if this came off as a derail — not trying to hijack the thread, just hoping to add some broader context.
The real problem was Wall Street’s long-standing war against capital-intensive manufacturing.
For over two decades, American financial markets aggressively favored fabless models like Nvidia and Qualcomm — companies that design chips but don’t actually make them. Why? Because manufacturing is messy, expensive, and slow to return profits. Wall Street wants fast margins, not long-term national capability.
Intel, as one of the last U.S. companies committed to in-house manufacturing (IDM model), was punished by investors for prioritizing technical infrastructure over short-term gains. Under pressure, it cut capital expenditures, delayed fab upgrades, and even lost key engineering talent — all to make the balance sheet look prettier. This wasn’t laziness. It was slow-motion strangulation by shareholder capitalism.
You want to know why TSMC pulled ahead? Because Taiwan made the opposite bet. Its government saw the long game and invested in hard tech, even when it wasn’t sexy. And generations of engineers there stayed focused, while Intel was told to “just license your tech, outsource your fabs, and boost your EPS.”
Trump’s tariffs and bullying tactics won’t fix this — you can’t tariff your way out of a decades-long systemic decline caused by financialization. Manufacturing strength takes patient, coordinated industrial policy, not bravado on social media.
Biden’s CHIPS Act is at least a step in the right direction — trying to rebuild lost capability. But let’s not kid ourselves: Intel’s fall wasn’t due to lack of patriotism. It was due to an entire economic system that punished the very thing America now suddenly realizes it needs.
Sorry if this came off as a derail — not trying to hijack the thread, just hoping to add some broader context.
The fentanyl excuse was just that an excuse, if he cared about over doses and fentanyl, why did he pardon Ross Ulbricht( on Jan 21,2025), who was already in jail for running an illegal drug website selling drugs(silk road)
Trump should not just do it for manufacturing, but for all jobs. People think it's only low-paying jobs that are being outsourced, it's $500.000+ office jobs that are being outsourced to low wage countries such as Eastern Europe (Poland for example), South America and Asia too.
If it continues like this, there will be no more jobs left, and everybody will be on government support. That's not how an economy can exist where the entire population can only consume but not produce.
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More tech jobs in America, many of which to be filled not by American citizens, but instead by foreign H-1B workers who corporations can pay lower wages to in order to maximize profits.
Tariffs do not require congressional oversight. To date the Lump hasn’t sought to pass any laws through Congress, not one!
All law changes are being Dictated by presidential decree. It’s not a sexy look from the UK that’s for sure.
Still better that those H-1B workers spend their money in the USA, rather than outside of the USA.
And those H-1B workers are paying taxes in the USA, rather than enriching foreign governments.
The USA is literally giving away free money to the world with this outsourcing BS.
You know your President is a dictator when he “hasn’t sought to pass any laws through Congress, not one”!
> 'Made in America' Apple Silicon to Lag Behind Taiwan's Output
Of course they lag, it's their life insurance! in current Administration mindset, will Taiwan be worth defending once they move top chips production stateside?
Of course they lag, it's their life insurance! in current Administration mindset, will Taiwan be worth defending once they move top chips production stateside?
Well of course it is .... the process is developed at the mother-ship and then outsourced .... it's an age old model. The only difference is that the mother ships used to be in the US for processors. Samsung been out-sourcing their Korean memory and logic tech to Texas for many years
Tariffs won't bring any manufacturing jobs back to America. It costs Apple $10 to make one iPhone in China because they only pay the workers $2.50 an hour. Besides prisoners, no other American can work for that little.
Despite huge bonuses that are being paid to Senior Management, Apple has a 30% profit margin.
They can hire American workers no problem if they cut their bonuses and reduce their huge profit margin.
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If the desert southwest (or America in general) pumped out more qualified candidates to fill leading edge semiconductor foundries this would be less of an issue. Intel's had a presence in Chandler, AZ for over 40 years. The chipmakers and the talent pool all have to keep up with the market trends.
ASML only exports certain chip machines to China…not the most advanced ones. Thanks to (US) sanctions. But maybe future will be different…..different administration asks for different rules.
That's exactly the problem. The debt rate is way too high….but US did it to themselves. Now trying to find scapegoats elsewhere in the world? If you spend way too much for years and years….then yes, someone has to pay. Ofcourse US should look in the mirror.
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Yes. USA customers will notice an increase in costs both from relocating companies back to the USA and import tariffs. Maybe nobody cares in the US.
And a company like Apple might have a really hard time because they’ve gotten too fat and happy on very inflated margins due to this Geo arbitrage nature of their supply chain.
Those slave wages do allow them to purchase suicide nets at least.
/s
😔
It’s all so sad and dystopian
