Overview
- New analysis argues Mexico will need 30 to 40 years and investment on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars to become a meaningful chip manufacturer, tempering a 2030 factory goal announced earlier this year.
- Specialists recommend short‑to‑medium‑term focus on assembly, testing and packaging, with one expert saying construction could start next year and yield small but steady output within four years at the ATP stage.
- Mexico’s comparative advantage is talent, with the United States facing a reported shortfall of about 27,000 semiconductor engineers and new fabs in Arizona creating demand Mexico could help meet.
- Local design efforts are advancing as Kutsari at INAOE unveils its first integrated circuit, Tonantzin 1, and Innova Bienestar plans a miniaturized, portable version for commercial launch next year despite having no assigned budget.
- Industry voices say Mexico currently lacks a full semiconductor ecosystem and call for government facilitation, university pipelines and TMEC‑aligned policies to complement U.S. supply chains rather than rushing into wafer fabrication.