(The Center Square) – Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs met with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s leadership in Taiwan on Monday as part of her economy-focused visit to Asia.
“The collaborative relationship between Arizona and TSMC is critical for creating good-paying jobs and building businesses in our state,” Hobbs said in a statement. “My administration is committed to fostering this important partnership and growing our semiconductor and advanced manufacturing ecosystem. I’m confident that Arizona will continue to be a leader in semiconductor manufacturing for decades to come, creating thousands of jobs and bringing billions of dollars in investments.”
TSMC has become an economic power player in Arizona, constructing a large microchip plant in north Phoenix with a $40 billion investment. The site is under construction and is expected to be up and running in 2025, according to CNBC. However, the 2025 date is a delay from its anticipated 2024 opening, as there have been concerns that there are not enough American workers that can adequately install equipment at the site.
According to the governor’s news release, the plant already has created 12,000 jobs in the construction process and is expected to have 4,500 people working for the plant once it’s opened. The state government announced a partnership with TSMC to develop a worker safety agreement in August. In addition, Hobbs announced that the state was making an initial investment of $500,000 for apprenticeships in order to target labor concerns, The Center Square reported.
Unions are still expressing concerns to TSMC over the company sending in Taiwanese workers to fill spots at the plant, according to 12 News.
