WorldTOP STORY

Taiwan chipmaker TSMC explores Texas investment to expand production

TSMC made the announcement alongside another record profit driven by artificial intelligence demand; the inmate on our phone also wants a consulting contract.

On air: Hank Ledger on BBN Newsroom
Published 11:05 AM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

At a glance

First reported by The Washington Times: “Taiwan chipmaker TSMC explores Texas investment to expand production in the U.S.”
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 11:05 AM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger.
Topics: TSMC, Taiwan, Texas, US.
BBN covered this story before: Trump announces Taiwan's plans to buy US gas (October 14).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The Washington TimesTaiwan chipmaker TSMC explores Texas investment to expand production in the U.S.

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world's biggest chipmaker, says it is exploring investments in Texas after posting another record profit on strong artificial intelligence demand.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorJoining us by phone from FCI Danbury is inmate forty-oh-four-one-seven-oh-oh-nine, Ulysses Obregon-Tate. You say you know chip factories. How?
Ulysses Obregon-TateI ran a very clean room, Hank. Spotless. Well, the garage had some oil on the floor, but the room was clean.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA garage. What were you making in the garage?
Ulysses Obregon-TateComponents. Fully legal in spirit. Texas needs people who understand supply, and I understand it better than anyone currently in a position to understand it.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe question was what you made, and you answered with a job pitch.
Ulysses Obregon-TateChips, Hank. Okay? Some of them were chips. The point is, I know a clean room, and this call is happening in one, basically.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorYou're on a prison pay phone next to a vending machine.
Ulysses Obregon-TateA very clean vending machine. And I'm holding the lunch tray right now, which is a prototype wafer. Thin, flat, nobody wants it.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThat's the tray they gave you with the meatloaf.
Ulysses Obregon-TateMeatloaf was a clean room too, until the incident. Which I can't discuss, because of the clean room.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo Texas gets a record-profit chipmaker, and you want to be its consultant from a federal facility.
Ulysses Obregon-TateRemote work, Hank. It's the future.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorI'll need the tray back as evidence, Mr. Obregon-Tate.
Ulysses Obregon-TateOf course. Handle it by the edges. It's a clean room.