TSMC has more than doubled its Arizona internship program, pulling in over 200 students from around 60 colleges this summer as it races to staff its advanced-node fabs just outside Phoenix. Just a year ago, that figure stood at 130. In 2023, it was only 16. Speaking to Phoenix Business Journal, TSMC Arizona president Rose Castanares said “we’re really scaling up,” noting that about 30 of this year’s interns came from Arizona State University alone.
TSMC began producing 4nm chips at its first Phoenix fab in early 2025, a milestone confirmed by both the company and the U.S. Commerce Department in April. That same announcement outlined $6.6 billion in CHIPS Act subsidies and the plan for a third Arizona fab — one that will eventually support TSMC’s upcoming 2nm process. Combined, the three fabs are expected to support over 6,000 direct jobs and produce some of the world’s most advanced silicon on U.S. soil.
More than just a summer job, these internships sat alongside technical apprenticeships, accelerated certificate tracks, and a growing slate of university partnerships, all of which are part of a wider talent pipeline that’s being pushed hard by state and federal officials. In April, the Arizona Commerce Authority trumpeted the expansion alongside Governor Katie Hobbs, and ASU has since launched new undergrad research and workforce development programs focused entirely on semiconductors…