Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is eyeing expanding its Arizona chip fab to six factories, before the first one even gets off the ground.

The world's largest contract manufacturer of semiconductors mostly builds chips in its Taiwan homeland, but is building the Arizona plant following significant tax incentives and US efforts to boost domestic manufacturing.

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– Briáxis F. Mendes (孟必思)

Three people familiar with TSMC's plans told Reuters the company was looking beyond its initial site with an additional five fabs.

One told the publication that the company has already acquired the additional land for the extra factories.

The first 12-inch wafer fab is expected to start volume production in 2024, with a planned output of 20,000 wafers a month. TSMC as a whole produces around 2.7m wafers a month, but is investing heavily to expand production.

The company last month said that it would spend $100bn over the next three years to increase chip production capacity, amid a global semiconductor drought.

Currently, most of its production and investment is focused on Taiwan, despite attempts by the US and EU to set up domestic facilities.

The Arizona plant was a culmination of years of efforts to woo the company, with the $12bn facility announced last May. But the fab still won't fully alleviate US domestic chip production concerns, with the Biden Administration looking to spend billions to boost the industry.