The map at the top of the article, which you can full-screen for a better view, focuses on semiconductor manufacturing facilities, rather than assembly and packaging. It's not exhaustive, as there are many more smaller chipmakers globally, but covers the three largest semiconductor manufacturers—TSMC, Intel, and Samsung—and notes the locations of these companies' cutting-edge facilities, along with some older fabs.
Also included in the map above is GlobalFoundries. Until recently, GloFo was producing a large number of chips for AMD due to a supply agreement between the two companies, which dated back to when AMD first sold off its manufacturing arm and spawned GloFo. Nowadays, AMD relies on TSMC to provide newer chips than those GloFo can provide.inside of Intel's Fab 28
in Kiryat Gat in Israel, and it appeared to me almost endless from within. Next door, Intel is building Fab 38, an even bigger fab facility, using the world's second largest crane. Crikey. This morning, I biked around TSMC headquarters and Fab 12, the most important site in the world.This is where 7nm, 5nm, and 3nm from TSMC were all developed.The scale is immense, and pictures don't do it justice.I have done the same with Intel D1, and Fab 12 puts it to shame. pic.twitter.com/gcD9wMdy5vTake a look at this bike tour from Dylan Patel if you want a bit more of a perspective on the size of these places—satellite imagery hardly does them justice.
Have no doubt these massive sites are absolutely crucial for the world economy, that's why everyone wants a piece, and why the locations of the next wave of fabs are so important.You can see clear development of TSMC's Fab 21 in Arizona over the past year. It's expected to be up-and-running, producing 5nm chips, by 2024. A second phase of the fab will be completed at a later date to increase demand.