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Nvidia and TSMC Make First U.S.-Built Blackwell Wafer at Arizona Fab

The step advances U.S. wafer fabrication, with crucial packaging and final assembly still in Taiwan.

Overview

  • The first production Blackwell wafer was fabricated at TSMC’s Fab 21 in Phoenix, marking the start of U.S. volume wafer output for Nvidia’s next-generation chips.
  • Advanced CoWoS-L packaging and final module assembly remain based in Taiwan, so Arizona-made wafers are shipped overseas before completion.
  • TSMC and Amkor signed a memorandum of understanding to establish U.S. advanced packaging, with initial lines targeted between 2028 and 2030.
  • Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang framed the milestone as a win for U.S. industrial policy and credited President Trump’s tariffs for accelerating domestic chip production.
  • Nvidia outlined plans to invest heavily in U.S. AI infrastructure and to integrate robotics and AI to boost automation at future domestic manufacturing sites.