More strategic than ever, semiconductor production outside Southeast Asia is a major issue for Donald Trump, who has made it one of his key priorities.
Long before Donald Trump returned to the White House, the issue of semiconductor production on American soil was already at the heart of the activities of Joe Biden and his administration. For the former President of the United States, the objective was obviously to reduce the country's dependence on its Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese partners. It's a path that the European Union is also trying to follow, albeit with less success for the moment. It's a success story we're talking about today, and Donald Trump won't miss the opportunity to pretend it's entirely the result of his own efforts.
Jensen Huang proudly poses with the first Blackwell wafer produced on American soil © NVIDIA
The fact that even three years ago, few would have imagined such an announcement... and would have been thought to be mildly crazy. However, at the end of last week, NVIDIA announced the production of the first Blackwell wafer to be manufactured entirely on American soil. A wafer designed by NVIDIA, of course, but produced by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the only company in the world technologically capable of manufacturing such chips. But rather than produce the wafer in one of its Taiwanese factories, TSMC brought it out of its facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
TSMC's new Phoenix plant is now capable of producing the most modern components on the market, paving the way for a large-scale release of "made in America" chips that should greatly strengthen the logistics of American high-tech companies. " This is a historic moment for several reasons. This is the very first time in recent U.S. history that the most important chip is made here in the U.S. by the most advanced factory, TSMC," said Jensen Huang as he presented said wafer, before adding, " This is President Trump's vision for reindustrialization: to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., to create jobs, of course, but also, this is the most vital manufacturing industry and the most important technology industry in the world." One thing's for sure: as CEO of NVIDIA as he is, Jensen Huang wants to stay on good terms with President Trump.
