TSMC has disclosed intentions to build a 5nm wafer fab in Arizona. But the foundry house is seeking US governmen subsidies that it says are needed to run the US fab at costs on about similar levels of TSMC's Taiwan-based plants. Meanwhile, MediaTek is expected to see strong demand for its 5G smartphone chips from Chinese vendors in second-half 2020, as the handset market starts recovering. Apple's upcoming iPhones reportedly will start volume production in July, injecting momentum into the 5G phone market.
Government subsidies crucial for new TSMC fab establishment in US: TSMC is in talks with the US government about relevant subsidies for its new wafer fab in Arizona so that the foundry is able to implement the investment plan, said TSMC chairman Mark Liu at a press event right after the company's shareholders meeting on June 9.
MediaTek 5G chip shipments may top 80 million units in 2020: MediaTek is likely to ship more than 80 million mobile SoCs for 5G handsets in 2020 mainly to Chinese handset vendors, which may push up its global market share in the segment to at least 40% and serve as a major growth driver for the company, according to industry sources.
Apple 5G iPhones expected to begin volume production in July: Apple is expected to complete its second-phase engineering validation and testing (EVT 2) for its upcoming 5G iPhone series by the end of June, paving the way for volume production in July, according to industry sources.