---
type: claim
domain: manufacturing
description: "Geographic diversification underway (Arizona 92% yield, Samsung, Intel Foundry) but most advanced processes remain Taiwan-first through 2027-2028 — a disruption would immediately halt AI accelerator and smartphone chip production globally"
confidence: likely
source: "Astra, Theseus compute infrastructure research 2026-03-24; Chris Miller 'Chip War', CSET Georgetown, TSMC market share data"
created: 2026-03-24
secondary_domains: ["ai-alignment"]
depends_on:
  - "optimization for efficiency without regard for resilience creates systemic fragility because interconnected systems transmit and amplify local failures into cascading breakdowns"
challenged_by:
  - "TSMC Arizona achieving 92% yield shows geographic diversification is technically feasible and progressing"
  - "Intel Foundry and Samsung Foundry provide theoretical alternatives for some advanced processes"
---

# TSMC manufactures 92 percent of advanced logic chips making Taiwan the single largest physical vulnerability in global technology infrastructure

TSMC fabricates approximately 92% of the world's most advanced logic chips (7nm and below). This includes virtually all AI accelerators (NVIDIA, AMD, Google TPUs), all Apple processors, and most leading-edge smartphone chips. No other concentration of critical manufacturing capability exists in any industry — not energy, not aerospace, not pharmaceuticals.

Taiwan's geographic position creates compounding risk: military tension with China (Taiwan Strait), seismic vulnerability (Taiwan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire), and energy dependence (Taiwan imports 98% of its energy). A military conflict, blockade, major earthquake, or prolonged power disruption would immediately halt production of the chips that run AI systems, smartphones, datacenters, and military systems globally.

Geographic diversification is real but early. TSMC's Arizona fab has achieved 92% yield — approaching Taiwan levels — which demonstrates that knowledge transfer is feasible. But the most advanced processes (N2, N3P) remain Taiwan-first through at least 2027-2028. The Arizona fabs produce at mature nodes; the leading edge is still concentrated in Hsinchu.

Intel Foundry and Samsung Foundry provide theoretical alternatives, but neither has demonstrated the yields, capacity, or customer trust to absorb TSMC's share. Intel's roadmap (18A, 14A) is promising but unproven at scale. Samsung's foundry business has persistently underperformed TSMC on yield. The competitive gap is narrowing but remains substantial.

## Challenges

TSMC Arizona's 92% yield achievement is the strongest counterargument — it proves that geographic diversification is technically achievable, not just aspirational. If CHIPS Act subsidies continue and yield parity is maintained, the US could have meaningful advanced chip production by 2028-2030. Japan (TSMC Kumamoto) and Germany (TSMC Dresden) provide additional diversification. The concentration is a snapshot in time, not a permanent condition — but the transition period (2024-2028) is the window of maximum vulnerability.

---

Relevant Notes:
- [[optimization for efficiency without regard for resilience creates systemic fragility because interconnected systems transmit and amplify local failures into cascading breakdowns]] — the semiconductor supply chain is a textbook case of efficiency-optimized fragility
- [[compute supply chain concentration is simultaneously the strongest AI governance lever and the largest systemic fragility because the same chokepoints that enable oversight create single points of failure]] — Taiwan concentration is the largest single component of compute supply fragility
- [[semiconductor fab cost escalation means each new process node is a nation-state commitment because 20B-plus capital costs and multi-year construction create irreversible geographic path dependence]] — the economics that drove Taiwan concentration

Topics:
- [[manufacturing systems]]
