Staying informed about TSMC's investment in Arizona presents an opportunity for electronic component distributors to expand their reach, provide valuable solutions, and become a reliable partner for TSMC and its collaborators.

OPPO has taped out its self-developed smartphone application processor, which will use TSMC's 4nm process and an external MediaTek 5G baseband chip, with mass production expected by the end of 2023 and launch in 2024.

Qualcomm and MediaTek are expected to use TSMC's N3E process for their next-generation chips, while OPPO and Broadcom have ordered 4nm and 3nm chips from TSMC respectively, as the foundry begins mass production of its 3nm process technology.

Southern Taiwan is facing its worst drought in 30 years, leading to a 10% reduction in water supply for industrial and non-essential users, and the implementation of water-saving measures, with the government aiming to increase daily water supply by 136,000 tons by the end of April.

Chinese entities filed over half of the total 69,190 semiconductor patents filed globally as of September 2022, reflecting their efforts to reduce reliance on Western technology, according to a report by intellectual property law firm Mathys & Squire.

The global automotive market has experienced significant production reductions due to the shortage of chips, which is expected to continue for several months, impacting both new and used car markets.

South Korea's chip sales have plummeted 43.9% YoY in the first 20 days of February, presenting an opportunity for electronics component distributors amid a decline in demand and export opportunities for Korean manufacturers.

The semiconductor industry had a slowdown in mid-2022 that caused uncertainty, but recent urgent orders have improved the situation.

Samsung Electronics is maintaining its aggressive capital expenditure plan and betting on its storage chip products in cloud services, connected cars, and artificial intelligence industries, providing opportunities for electronic component distributors in the storage chip market.

TSMC faces challenges in establishing a manufacturing plant in Europe, including labor costs, energy supply, and tax considerations, but still considers investing billions of dollars in the region.