TSMC Faces US Antitrust Investigation if It Refuses Cooperation with Intel

Trump Pressures TSMC to Save Intel
Intel Acquisition Announcement Expected in April

If TSMC refuses to cooperate with Intel as demanded by the Donald Trump administration, there is speculation that the U.S. government could use an antitrust investigation card.

According to several sources cited by Taiwanese media such as China Times on the 19th, the Trump administration is expected to pressure TSMC to support Intel, and if TSMC does not comply, it may resort to the 'antitrust investigation' card.

Sources said the Trump administration plans to use the antitrust investigation card to bring TSMC to the negotiating table, and ultimately, TSMC will not be able to withstand such pressure and will come to a 'compromise.'

According to data released by market research firm TrendForce, as of the third quarter of last year, TSMC's global foundry market share rose by 2.6 percentage points from the previous quarter to 64.9%, maintaining an overwhelming first place.

Intel, which once dominated the global semiconductor market, faced management difficulties within just a few years, with losses in the foundry sector reaching about $7 billion (approximately 100 trillion won) in 2023 alone.

If TSMC accepts the Trump administration's demands and announces an acquisition of Intel along with expanded investment in the U.S., sources said the announcement could come in April, when the second Trump administration is expected to launch a large-scale tariff offensive.

In a recent report, investment bank Baird forecasted that "TSMC will provide some semiconductor engineers and expertise to (Intel) to help produce 3nm (1nm = one billionth of a meter) or 2nm processes in the U.S."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.