An unprecedented look into TSMC gives insight into iPhone chip production
A in-person visit to a TSMC plant has granted rare insight into the company that's responsible for the trillions of transistors running the world's processors, including Apple's.
Building Apple's proprietary chips is a complex process
TSMC is a highly secretive company churning out one of the world's most valuable assets -- semiconductors. Apple is one of its many customers which needs parts for its proprietary Apple Silicon.
The report is sourced from Virginia Heffernan, writing for Wired, who was able to visit a TSMC plant in person. The journey to the fab was documented along with the visit itself, and we've pulled some interesting information from the story.
According to Heffernan, one of TSMC's 13 foundries carves and etches a quintillion transistors for Apple. The specific fab for this is Fab 18 in Tainan.
TSMC is a popular company to work for, with its 20,000 technicians that make up only one-third of the workforce. The starting salary for an engineer is equivalent to about $5,400 per month -- in a place where rent is about $450 for a one-bedroom.
Heffernan met with TSMC chairman Mark Liu during her visit. They discussed the company and why religion is a common aspect among employees.
"We are doing atomic constructions," Liu told Heffernan. "I tell my engineers, 'Think like an atomic-sized person.'"
He also cited a passage from Proverbs: "It's the glory of God to conceal matter. But to search out the matter is the glory of men."
Heffernan noted that TSMC engineers view American engineers as "babies" who are mentally unequipped to run a state-of-the-art fab. This was in response to Americans reacting to the plant's conditions during an overseas training session, referring to them as "sweatshops."
TSMC is expected to open a plant in Arizona after investing $40 billion into bringing fabrication stateside. Once operational, Apple will be among its initial customers for US-made chips.
Read on AppleInsider
Building Apple's proprietary chips is a complex process
TSMC is a highly secretive company churning out one of the world's most valuable assets -- semiconductors. Apple is one of its many customers which needs parts for its proprietary Apple Silicon.
The report is sourced from Virginia Heffernan, writing for Wired, who was able to visit a TSMC plant in person. The journey to the fab was documented along with the visit itself, and we've pulled some interesting information from the story.
According to Heffernan, one of TSMC's 13 foundries carves and etches a quintillion transistors for Apple. The specific fab for this is Fab 18 in Tainan.
TSMC is a popular company to work for, with its 20,000 technicians that make up only one-third of the workforce. The starting salary for an engineer is equivalent to about $5,400 per month -- in a place where rent is about $450 for a one-bedroom.
Heffernan met with TSMC chairman Mark Liu during her visit. They discussed the company and why religion is a common aspect among employees.
"We are doing atomic constructions," Liu told Heffernan. "I tell my engineers, 'Think like an atomic-sized person.'"
He also cited a passage from Proverbs: "It's the glory of God to conceal matter. But to search out the matter is the glory of men."
Heffernan noted that TSMC engineers view American engineers as "babies" who are mentally unequipped to run a state-of-the-art fab. This was in response to Americans reacting to the plant's conditions during an overseas training session, referring to them as "sweatshops."
TSMC is expected to open a plant in Arizona after investing $40 billion into bringing fabrication stateside. Once operational, Apple will be among its initial customers for US-made chips.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
"$450 for a one-bedroom." should be "$450 for a one-bedroom apartment."
On the subject of the matter, the comment that American engineers regard TSMC's working conditions as "sweatshop", we in the UK would have the same comment about US work and pay - long hours and little annual paid holiday. Then the average European would think the same about us in the UK. It appears there is a hierarchy. It is probably best to be a worker in Spain or France where the hours are short, they have siestas, 6 weeks+ annual paid holiday, a high statutory minimum wage, early retirement and very generous pensions. If you are the owner of a business, the opposite is true. Working conditions in Taiwan are like those in the UK 100 years ago and the US is somewhere in between.
It made me realize there’s a LOT more to fabbing these chips than what happens inside the fab.
A high tech facility will not risk hiring someone who has no experience around sensitive equipment.
Our company made an analysis and it turned out that while in Italy the quality of life is very good,
the cost of production is comparable to Mexico for our specific case.
Moderate production rate for a robot, with the addition of high production rate of a big value consumable.
Most persons here work 8-9 days with a high work rate.
Perhaps more than in the USA in my 20 years experience there ), plus the work force is much better educated
This is SO true. That's why I cringe when Americans whine about "sweatshops" when in reality, workers take pride of their hard work. Americans are so spoiled and self centered thinking that they are the ones to know what's best and pretend to "stand up and fight" for the "unfortunate." Extremely condescending.