US Scholars: TSMC's Investment in the US, Taiwan-Made Advanced Chips Still Account for a High Proportion

New York think tank Network 20/20 and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York held a seminar on the 6th titled 'Taiwan's Role in the US High-Tech Supply Chain: Opportunities and Challenges.' The event focused on analyzing Taiwan's role in the global high-tech supply chain, artificial intelligence competition, and the chip industry ecosystem.

Attendees included David Sacks, Asia Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Adam Segal, Professor of Emerging Technologies and National Security and Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program at Network 20/20; Roselyn Hsueh, Professor of Political Science and Senior Overseas Research Fellow at the Center for Technology, Democracy, and Society at Temple University; and Stephen Ezell, Vice President of Global Innovation Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington D.C. think tank.

Sacks believes that Taiwan will not lose its advantage in semiconductor manufacturing due to investments in the United States, and the most cutting-edge chips will still be manufactured in Taiwan. With the current growing demand for semiconductors, even if TSMC's investment in Arizona is highly successful, the proportion of advanced chip manufacturing will remain at current levels.

He stated that the US commitment to Taiwan is not just about semiconductors; when the US Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979, the semiconductor industry had not yet taken shape, and the importance of Taiwan-US relations to the United States far exceeded semiconductors.

Ezell said that Taiwan is at the core of the semiconductor field, and both sides have an interdisciplinary and symbiotic relationship in the high-tech industry. Data shows that US corporate clients account for about 70% of the total revenue of Taiwanese wafer foundries, with Apple once accounting for 25% of TSMC's revenue. As much as 45% of the revenue of US high-end semiconductor material and advanced equipment exporters comes from the Taiwanese market, demonstrating the close symbiotic partnership between Taiwan and the US in semiconductor industry development.

Segal pointed out that Taiwan holds an absolute dominant position in AI data centers and logic semiconductors, with 90% of global AI servers produced in Taiwan, and a globally leading key position in advanced semiconductor packaging and testing.

Hsueh stated that in the current geopolitical and US-China tech war context, Taiwan and the US should cooperate more closely than ever to maximize the benefits brought by their interdependence.

Li Chih-chiang, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, noted in his speech that 2026 not only marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States but also the 30th anniversary of Taiwan's direct presidential elections. Taiwan deeply cherishes decades of Taiwan-US cooperation and bipartisan US support for Taiwan. Taiwan will continue to work closely with the United States and like-minded countries to jointly maintain regional peace and stability and common prosperity, and ensure the resilience of global supply chains.

Network 20/20 is a non-profit organization founded by educator Patricia Huntington after the 9/11 incident, feeling that the American public lacked understanding of international affairs. Its aim is to connect civil society organizations with foreign policy circles to promote awareness and discussion of foreign policy and global challenges. (Editor: Chen Huiping) 1150408