Amid Special Tariff Fears, Taiwan’s GlobalWafers Increases Overseas Chip-Making Capacity: CEO Doris Hsu Speaks Out

GlobalWafers from Taiwan is growing its chip production facilities abroad due to worries about potential tariffs. The CEO, Doris Hsu, of the company, which ranks third globally in silicon wafer supply, has expressed apprehension about a possible 'special tariff' as they expand their operations in both the United States and Europe.

GlobalWafers is proactively expanding its manufacturing capabilities abroad, foreseeing an increase in chip material tariffs. This highlights the escalating anticipation that reciprocal trade actions will cause interruptions in the semiconductor supply chain in the future.

The third biggest supplier of silicon wafers globally is broadening its manufacturing facilities in six out of the nine nations it operates in. This includes two facilities in the United States, and one each in Italy and Denmark.

Doris Hsu, the Chairwoman and CEO of GlobalWafers, expressed to Bloomberg Television that she anticipates the implementation of unique tariffs not just in the United States, but in several other nations within the industry. She further suggested that these potential tariffs could be circumvented by transitioning to domestic manufacturing.

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TSMC, the biggest contract chip manufacturer globally, has officially opened its initial facility in Japan.

Global governments are progressively considering semiconductor technology as a matter of national security in light of the chip shortages experienced during and subsequent to the Covid-19 pandemic. These shortages severely affected various sectors, notably the automobile production industry. Additionally, escalating geopolitical conflicts have heightened the gravity of the situation.