Taiwan's TSMC has reportedly drawn up a plan to build a 2-nanometer (nm) semiconductor foundry in the United States.

The Taipei Times reported on May 17 that TSMC plans to build a next-generation 2 nm semiconductor plant in Arizona within the next 10 to 15 years.

Initially, TSMC planned to operate a state-of-the-art sub-3 nm process in Taiwan. However, the company reportedly revised the plan as the Joe Biden administration promised strong support measures. In fact, U.S. President Biden announced in March that he would provide US$50 billion to support the semiconductor industry.

If TSMC actually starts the construction of a sub-3 nm plant, its investment in the United States will increase to more than US$25 billion, which exceeds Samsung Electronics’ plan to invest US$17 billion to build a new foundry in the U.S. Some experts predict that Samsung Electronics may announce a larger-scale investment plan exceeding 20 trillion won.

TSMC recently started a discussion on building a 3 nm plant in the United States. It plans to build a total of six new plants by adding five plants, including a 3 nm plant, to the one it originally planned to build.