Photo: Courtesy of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
By Jessica Boehm | Axios
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced earlier this year that it will triple its Phoenix campus over the next decade-plus, positioning itself to become one of Arizona’s largest employers.
Why it matters: The Valley rallied to ensure residents were ready to fill the thousands of high-wage, high-tech jobs the company promised when it announced its arrival in Arizona five years ago.
- But the next wave of TSMC workforce development will require capturing workers at every entry point: recent high school graduates, mid-career laborers displaced by automation, food-service workers who never considered a job in the tech industry and top engineering graduates with post-secondary degrees.
Threat level: Failing to meet the moment could cost the Valley more than just squandered high-paying jobs.
- It could also amount to a national security shortfall of epic proportions — the U.S. sees TSMC’s investment here as the first major step to decrease its reliance on foreign semiconductor manufacturing.
