Global Manufacturing Shift
Supply chain bottlenecks, anti-China political rift, and export controls have sparked a global movement to shift manufacturing away from mainland China. A major milestone of such was marked by last week’s opening of Taiwan’s TSMC $40 billion manufacturing site in Arizona, attended by President Biden. TSMC accounts for over 50% of the world’s chip manufacturing, followed by Samsung, a distant second. The top 5 world’s foundries account for 90% of the global chip production & supply, while over 65% of the foundries’ market share is from Taiwan companies. The recent U.S. Chips and Science Act to fund domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors is met with mixed emotions among Asian nations, especially Taiwan. Shifting production locally to the U.S. is also considered a shift in geopolitical balance accompanied by the fear that this would diminish the U.S.’s presence and support for Taiwan and its Southeast Asian neighbors. Strong ties with the U.S. have always been viewed as a protective shield from China’s Communist Party.