Last week, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. founder Morris Chang announced that the company was planning to produce chips with advanced 3-nanometer technology. But now, TSMC will offer advanced 4-nanometer chips when its new $12 billion plant in Arizona opens in 2024.
Citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg is reporting that TSMC is doing this after customers like Apple, Advanced Micro Devices, and Nvidia have pushed the company into doing so. The semiconductor manufacturer is expected to announce the new plan when President Joseph R. Biden and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visit Phoenix for a ceremony next Tuesday. Apple is expected to use roughly a third of the output as production gets underway.
“Super-advanced semiconductor chips — like the ones produced by TSMC — are an indispensable part of everything from smartphones to washing machines,” according to CNN. “They are also difficult to make because of the high cost of development and the level of knowledge required, meaning much of the production is concentrated in just a handful of suppliers.”
TSMC, which accounts for about 90% of the globe’s super-advanced computer chips, previously announced it would make 20,000 wafers per month at the Arizona facility, but the production may increase from that original target.
TSMC is currently the top holding in the Xtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETF (EMCR), weighted at 8.65% as of Nov. 30. EMCR seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive ISS Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction & Climate Improvers Index NTR.
According to the issuer, the index aims to track the performance of Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap securities, including only companies operating in accordance with market standards on ESG controversy screens. Those standards are based on established norms such as the United Nations Global Compact and the exclusion of significant involvement in defined sectors.
The fund aims to cover current and future regulation on ESG investments and also include a focus on issues related to climate change. The underlying assets are selected and weighted in such a manner that the resulting benchmark portfolio’s GHG emissions are aligned with the long-term global warming target of the Paris Climate Agreement.
EMCR carries an expense ratio of 0.15%.
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