Semiconductor device fabrication

The intense earthquake that rattled Taiwan early Wednesday, led to equipment damage at the semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Despite the initial impact, most machinery at the chipmaker resumed normal operations within the day.

"Support Chinese chips, join the enterprise of the century" read an upbeat slogan at a recent semiconductor industry fair in Shanghai, where the mood was defiant despite the intense pressure placed on the sector by geopolitical tensions.

Chip giant TSMC said it is determined to "keep its roots in Taiwan," as it launched a massive new research and development facility in the northern city of Hsinchu on July 28.

The new restrictions ban the export of US semiconductor equipment to China that no foreign competitor can supply

The current semiconductor shortage is a result of the squeezing of production at the beginning of the pandemic