Phoenix okays development deal with TSMC for $12 bln chip factory

City officials in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday unanimously voted to authorize a development agreement with chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co that would provide $205 million in city funds for infrastructure such as roads and water improvements for a planned $12 billion semiconductor factory in the city.

TSMC is the world’s biggest contract chipmaker and manufactures semiconductors for Apple Inc, Qualcomm Inc and a range of other technology companies. The company in May disclosed its intentions to build a 5-nanometer chip factory in Arizona, which would be its first advanced manufacturing facility in the United States. Earlier this month it approved an investment to set up a wholly owned subsidiary in the U.S. state with paid-in capital of $3.5 billion.