Leading global chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung Electronics Co. are considering building large factories in the UAE to meet future demand for artificial intelligence chips, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the newspaper, representatives from these companies recently visited the UAE to discuss building state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the coming years.
Plans for these projects are in the early stages, facing significant hurdles, and may not be realized, the paper noted. The total cost of the plants could exceed $100 billion. The projects will be financed by the UAE and its sovereign wealth fund Mubadala.
“We are always open to constructive discussions on ways to promote the semiconductor industry, but we remain focused on our current global expansion projects and currently have no new investment plans” to disclose, a TSMC spokesman told the newspaper.
Samsung did not respond to WSJ’s request for comment.
