TSMC ready to spend US$20b on its most advanced chip plant

Taipei

IT'S GETTING more expensive for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to stay at the top of its game.

The biggest contract maker of chips is preparing to spend more than US$20 billion on its next state-of-the-art plant as it's built over the next few years: the price for staying ahead of Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co in cutting-edge semiconductor production, founder Morris Chang says.

TSMC, the main assembler of mobile phone processors for Apple Inc, spends some US$10 billion annually to keep abreast of Intel and Samsung and safeguard its perch as the…