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TSMC confirms that the Arizona Fab 21 plant experienced a power outage in September, with wafer loss and financial impact yet to be determined.
TSMC recently confirmed that its Fab 21 factory in Arizona experienced production disruptions in late September due to a power outage from a supplier. According to insider Tim Culpan, the outage forced the factory to scrap some wafers, but TSMC has not disclosed the specific number of losses or economic impact. A TSMC representative confirmed to Tom's Hardware that the power outage did occur but did not confirm whether it resulted in wafer losses.
The power outage originated from the UK industrial gas supplier Linde, which is responsible for supplying critical materials to Fab 21. Although the Fab 21 plant itself did not experience a power cut (equipped with backup generators), the disruption in the supply of critical materials forced the plant to halt production for several hours and caused potential losses. TSMC in the US must rely on external suppliers to manage gas infrastructure, while in Taiwan it is managed internally, making Fab 21 more susceptible to supply chain disruptions.
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