The well-known chipmaker TSMC has been discussing with customers the relocation of its factories from Taiwan amid rising tensions with China. However, such measures are not possible, Reuters reports.
Speaking after the annual shareholders' meeting, CEO Xi Xi Wei said that since 80%-90% of TSMC's production capacity is located in Taiwan, it would be impossible to relocate the fabs.
Rising tensions between China and Taiwan were one of the main topics discussed at the annual Computex technology exhibition, and some Taiwanese chipmakers tried to downplay geopolitical risks.
"Nobody is worried about this yet," Frank Huang, chairman of Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing, opens new tab, told reporters at the event, when asked whether foreign customers were putting pressure on Taiwan firms not to produce there given the tensions.
At the same time, he added: "We are OK, no problem."
Earlier, it was reported that TSMC has precautionary measures in case of a military invasion by China. If the US intelligence forecasts come true and China does decide to invade the island in 2027, the extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, also known as EUV, at TSMC fabs can be turned off remotely.