TSMC has complained a number of times that building fabs outside of Taiwan is significantly more expensive than building fabs at home. As it turns out, the foundry is prepping to pass those extra costs on to its customers -- meaning clients in the U.S. will have to pay up to 30% more for chips made in America than for chips made in Taiwan, according to a DigiTimes story.
TSMC has started discussions with customers about orders and pricing for both overseas plants, which are set to begin commercial production in late 2024. Industry insiders believe that prices of chips produced on TSMC's N4 and N5 process technologies in the U.S. will be 20% - 30% higher than those in Taiwan, while older process chips produced in Japan's Kumamoto facility on N28/N22 as well as N16/N12 nodes may cost 10% - 15% more than similar chips fabbed in Taiwan.
