A 2013 Cold Call Helped Spark TSMC’s Major Arizona Chip Investment
Arizona’s rise as a major semiconductor manufacturing hub may have started with something surprisingly simple: a cold call.
Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority, shared the story during the Plug and Play May Summit in Sunnyvale on May 19. According to Watson, Arizona’s relationship with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, better known as TSMC, began during her first trip to Taiwan in 2013.
At the time, Arizona was working to strengthen its global business connections and attract advanced manufacturing companies. Watson said the state’s outreach to TSMC was not the result of a long-established partnership or a formal invitation. Instead, it began with an unsolicited approach during that Taiwan visit.
That early move eventually helped open the door to one of the most significant semiconductor investments in the United States.
Today, TSMC’s presence in Arizona is central to the state’s growing reputation as a destination for high-tech manufacturing. The company’s massive projects in the Phoenix area are expected to support thousands of jobs, strengthen the domestic chip supply chain, and attract a wider network of suppliers, engineers, and technology firms.
The story highlights how long-term economic development often begins years before major announcements are made. For Arizona, the effort to build trust with one of the world’s most important chipmakers started more than a decade ago with a proactive pitch and a willingness to engage directly with global industry leaders.
TSMC’s Arizona expansion has become a key part of the broader push to increase semiconductor production in the United States. As demand grows for chips used in smartphones, cars, artificial intelligence, data centers, and defense systems, the need for reliable domestic manufacturing has become more urgent.
Arizona has positioned itself as a strong player in that shift. The state offers a combination of available land, a growing technology workforce, university research support, and an expanding semiconductor ecosystem. TSMC’s investment has also helped draw more attention to the region from companies across the chip supply chain.
Watson’s comments serve as a reminder that major technology investments rarely happen overnight. They are often built through years of outreach, relationship-building, and strategic planning.
What began as a cold call in 2013 has since evolved into a landmark partnership with major implications for Arizona’s economy and America’s semiconductor future.
