TSMC Arizona Celebrates "Topping Out" Milestone at Second Fab Site

[T0@st]

TSMC Arizona's second semiconductor fabrication site has celebrated a "topping out" milestone—as documented in an official blog post (via LinkedIn) from yesterday. Workers were photographed installing an important/final piece of structure—the aforementioned "topping out" milestone signifies: "the last steel beam being raised into place on a construction project." The Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturer has had a rough time in establishing operations out in the desert/greater Phoenix area—the "Fab 21 Phase 2" plant is not expected to meet its original 2026 opening window. TSMC Chairman Mark Liu is reportedly leaving his position due to consistent Arizona-related problems and delays.

The TSMC LinkedIn account shared some additional and certainly much-needed positive news: "We also recently achieved the topping milestone on our second fab's auxiliary buildings, which will supply the necessary utilities infrastructure to the second fab clean room." Thursday's blog (February 22) also discloses that the primary site—Fab 21 Phase 1—is still on track to begin production within the first half of 2025, thanks to "significant" bursts in construction progress. The author moved onto future production prospects: "Once operational, our two fabs at TSMC Arizona will manufacture the most advanced semiconductor technology in the U.S., creating 4,500 direct high-tech, high-wage jobs and enabling our customers' leadership in the high-performance computing and artificial intelligence era for decades."




This week's ceremony: "was a momentous occasion for TSMC Arizona and our outstanding construction partners. TSMC Arizona CEO Y.L. Wang and President Brian Harrison joined the assembled trade workers and extended thanks for their hard work and valued craftsmanship. At the event, we were proud to stand alongside our important construction partners, including Austin Commercial, Baker Concrete Constructors, BUESING CORP, Rolling Plains Construction, and W&W|AFCO Steel."

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[bonehead123]

You go TSMC

Lets just hope the construction companies & crews didn't cut any corners just to make their deadlines or to save a few $$...and therefore set this fab up for structural/architectural/mechanical failures down the road....

 

[Wirko]

You go TSMC

Lets just hope the construction companies & crews didn't cut any corners just to make their deadlines or to save a few $$...and therefore set this fab up for structural/architectural/mechanical failures down the road....

The hardware won't collapse but the software (people inside it) will bitch and moan every day and demand a 40-hour work week. Bosses will expect 80, and as a result the fab will produce just one half of what was planned.

 

[kondamin]

You go TSMC

Lets just hope the construction companies & crews didn't cut any corners just to make their deadlines or to save a few $$...and therefore set this fab up for structural/architectural/mechanical failures down the road....

i doubt there werent More people checking the work than there were people actually working on site

 

[bonehead123]

i doubt there werent More people checking the work than there were people actually working on site

Yea, as is typical every gov't-funded project....100-150 people standing around "supervising/managing" the 31.74 people who are doing the actual work

 

[remixedcat]

Yea, as is typical every gov't-funded project....100-150 people standing around "supervising/managing" the 31.74 people who are doing the actual work

this...

 

[Wirko]

this...

View attachment 336123

Medium-sized companies have job titles like these. Large corporations with a nine-level hierarchy have job titles that wouldn't fit into such a small pic.

 

[TumbleGeorge]

Terrible, the beams are as a mother gave birth to them and threw them away to the weather. In other words with thick rust. If only they had taken care of cleaning and painting them.
How damaged will be clean production, from contamination with Fe2O3?

 

[Vayra86]

this...

View attachment 336123

Hey look thats me in there! Except Im one of those assholes tossing shovels and rocks out all the time, usually hitting a target because they know close to nothing and act upon that.

Fun job. That pic, its reality. And it aint government. It happens a lot everywhere. There are So Many bullshit jobs its amazing

 

[trsttte]

Topping out? What the hell is that, what a lame excuse for a press event. Call me when they're doing test production runs lol

 

[Minus Infinity]

this...

View attachment 336123

One can only hope they are digging that hole for the HR asshole.

 

[Philaphlous]

Terrible, the beams are as a mother gave birth to them and threw them away to the weather. In other words with thick rust. If only they had taken care of cleaning and painting them.
How damaged will be clean production, from contamination with Fe2O3?

They'll likely get coated later on. At least its US steel...lol

 

[kondamin]

Hey look thats me in there! Except Im one of those assholes tossing shovels and rocks out all the time, usually hitting a target because they know close to nothing and act upon that.

Fun job. That pic, its reality. And it aint government. It happens a lot everywhere. There are So Many bullshit jobs its amazing

Yes and it’s made in a way that it makes the guy digging the hole is the one that feels useless.

 

[Wirko]

The entire structure seems familiar. There's some silicon at the ground level, backside power delivery beneath, a number of metal layers above, topped off with some cooling system. The rusty last beam is M13, I suppose.

 

[mechtech]

Yea, as is typical every gov't-funded project....100-150 people standing around "supervising/managing" the 31.74 people who are doing the actual work

There are a lot of non-government operations that are top-heavy as well.

As long as everyone is busy and working that's fine, however "the grunts aka the people that keep society running" should be a majority like a typical pyramid and more appreciated.

Not a fan of excess bloat, but also not a fan of high unemployment, ghetto neighbourhoods, etc.

I try to look at it like this, would you rather have someone sitting in geared to income housing collecting a welfare cheque doing whatever they want - like borrowing your things when you're at work, or working albeit at some obscure job being a relative non-contributer to society as a whole? I would think the latter is better for everyone.

The hardware won't collapse but the software (people inside it) will bitch and moan every day and demand a 40-hour work week. Bosses will expect 80, and as a result the fab will produce just one half of what was planned.

I've worked in production and it's about a 40hr week if it's 12-hrs shifts with cross shift.

Don't know about other places, but in Canada when we need 24-7 operations it's typically 4 crews on 12-hr shifts.

When last I worked that I was on C crew so A & C were cross shift and B & D crews were cross shift.

So worked Mon-Tues off wed-Thurs, work fri, sat, sun, off mon-tue, work wed-thurs, of fri, sat, sun. Usually flipping between days/nights every set. That gets a bit hard so now it's basically 2 weeks days and 2 weeks of nights. Wife is a nurse she is on the schedule 7am-7pm. There is benefits like half the year off, and 10 days a month you are off and kids in school which makes it easy to get things done and is a break from the noise.
I have also seen 4-3 12hr shift routine as well. No clue what they are going to use there, but having worked mon-friday with 2 weeks off a year.......it sucks, I would have much rather be on my old 12 hr shift work. Better now as I am up to 4 weeks, and nightshift would be tougher at my age.

an example

 

[dgianstefani]

There are a lot of non-government operations that are top-heavy as well.

As long as everyone is busy and working that's fine, however "the grunts aka the people that keep society running" should be a majority like a typical pyramid and more appreciated.

Not a fan of excess bloat, but also not a fan of high unemployment, ghetto neighbourhoods, etc.

I try to look at it like this, would you rather have someone sitting in geared to income housing collecting a welfare cheque doing whatever they want - like borrowing your things when you're at work, or working albeit at some obscure job being a relative non-contributer to society as a whole? I would think the latter is better for everyone.


I've worked in production and it's about a 40hr week if it's 12-hrs shifts with cross shift.

Don't know about other places, but in Canada when we need 24-7 operations it's typically 4 crews on 12-hr shifts.

When last I worked that I was on C crew so A & C were cross shift and B & D crews were cross shift.

So worked Mon-Tues off wed-Thurs, work fri, sat, sun, off mon-tue, work wed-thurs, of fri, sat, sun. Usually flipping between days/nights every set. That gets a bit hard so now it's basically 2 weeks days and 2 weeks of nights. Wife is a nurse she is on the schedule 7am-7pm. There is benefits like half the year off, and 10 days a month you are off and kids in school which makes it easy to get things done and is a break from the noise.
I have also seen 4-3 12hr shift routine as well. No clue what they are going to use there, but having worked mon-friday with 2 weeks off a year.......it sucks, I would have much rather be on my old 12 hr shift work. Better now as I am up to 4 weeks, and nightshift would be tougher at my age.

an example
View attachment 336249

It's just Price's/Lotkas Law.

Square root of the number of people in a project do most of the work.

Holds true for science and industry. Wouldn't be surprised if for a lot more than that too.

 

[mechtech]

It's just Price's/Lotkas Law.

Square root of the number of people in a project do most of the work.

Holds true for science and industry. Wouldn't be surprised if for a lot more than that too.

oh I know, I'm living it.....................

 

[Vayra86]

Yes and it’s made in a way that it makes the guy digging the hole is the one that feels useless.

Thats not my experience, the in depth technical knowledge in companies varies a lot. Im in the lucky situation being one of the select few with that (historical) knowledge... and then you feel essential.