TAIPEI (TVBS News) — TSMC (台積電) proposed a joint venture to U.S. chip designers NVIDIA, AMD, and Broadcom to manage an Intel wafer plant, according to a Reuters report released on Wednesday (March 12). The proposal suggests TSMC would operate Intel's foundry division to produce customized chips based on client demands.
A source told Reuters that TSMC's stake in the venture will remain below 50%, marking the first report of such details. Another source revealed a similar investment offer was extended to Qualcomm. These negotiations aim to address the Trump administration's request for TSMC to help revive Intel's struggling operations.
Insiders said discussions are still in the preliminary stages. Any final agreement requires approval from the Trump administration, which seeks to prevent Intel or its foundry division from being entirely foreign-owned. Intel, TSMC, NVIDIA, AMD, and Qualcomm declined to comment, while the White House and Broadcom did not respond to requests for comment.
After revealing plans to invest at least US$100 billion in the U.S. at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) emphasized last Thursday that its expansion in the U.S. aims to meet customer demands, not to secure subsidies.