"TSMC may face 'antitrust investigation' if it does not cooperate with Intel on technology"

Taiwanese media outlets are concerned that if TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor foundry, does not engage in technological cooperation with Intel, it could face an "antitrust investigation" by the U.S. government.



Citing sources, Taiwanese media outlets such as China Times reported on the 19th that if the U.S. government's plan to "save Intel" does not proceed as planned, government-level pressure on TSMC could begin.



Taiwanese semiconductor foundry TSMC [Photo = TSMC]



Sources explained that "the U.S. is using the antitrust investigation card to bring TSMC, the industry leader with a 64.9% market share in the third quarter of last year, to the negotiating table." They



continued to express concerns that "TSMC will not be able to withstand this pressure and will have to "compromise."



The semiconductor industry believes that after Intel's performance slumped sharply last year, the government and Intel's board of directors began weighing several cards, including a company split and sale and the establishment of a joint venture for technological cooperation.



Bloomberg previously reported that TSMC may acquire a stake in Intel's factories, and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Broadcom and TSMC could each acquire Intel's design and manufacturing divisions.



On the 17th, Taiwan's Economic Times reported that TSMC was considering acquiring a 20% stake in Intel Foundry Services (IFS).



Early last month, there were local reports that Thomas Caulfield, chairman and CEO of fellow American company GlobalFoundries, was a candidate for Intel's CEO, and that GlobalFoundries could acquire IFS.



"Strictly speaking, Broadcom is a Singaporean company," a semiconductor industry insider said. "Broadcom's attempt to acquire Qualcomm in 2018-2019 was also blocked by the Trump administration because of its roots in the Greater China region. It seems unlikely that Broadcom will participate in the Intel acquisition this time as well."



The official also added, "TSMC and IFS's establishment of a technology joint venture essentially means sharing TSMC's technology with Intel," and "Taiwanese media is concerned about the disadvantages they will face if they do not accept this."



Kuo Ming-chi, an analyst at Taiwan's TF International Securities, also recently analyzed on his social network service (SNS) X account, "The message that US President Donald Trump wants to convey is to quickly strengthen the advanced manufacturing process in the US, which is seriously behind Taiwan." He added that



if Samsung Electronics fails to improve the quality and yield of its advanced processes, it could become more difficult for Samsung to secure orders for advanced processes due to the deepening cooperation between TSMC and the US. There are also predictions that



if TSMC announces an expansion of its investment in the US, it could be in April, when the Trump administration's second term is expected to launch a large-scale tariff offensive.



Meanwhile, TSMC is reportedly planning to bring forward the start of construction of its third plant in Arizona by several months to June. TSMC is building three semiconductor factories in Arizona, USA, at a cost of $65 billion (KRW 93.75 trillion).





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