Taiwanese law forbids TSMC manufacturing chips abroad using their latest process, so no 2nm in the US fabs,this leaves Intel's 18A as the mist advanced one in US soil.
TSMC Arizona 4 nm fabs are a contingency. TSMC received $6+ billion in the CHIPS and Science Act, and the fab opening is delayed until 2025 due to they don't have the local talent yet.
I would say yes. Speculation follows: If the unthinkable happens, and assuming it devolves into a cold rather than a hot war (eg the Trump administration decide not to send soldiers and weapons to Taiwan but let the Chinese have the island), then US TSMC is appropriated, Intel or AMD or Qualcomm are told to run it, and all three are instructed to ramp up manufacturing capacity as aggressively as possible. If it's more like the status quo saber rattling, then I think USG would still want a 100% domestic supplier to be acting as a second source for the local economy and a primary source for anything the defense-industrial complex needs.
I imagine it takes a lot behind the scenes - especially priceless professional experience concentrated at HQ - to know how to set up new sites, set the future direction at all levels of the organization/timeframes, etc. etc. etc. What happens to the fabs long-term if leadership from Taiwan is decapitated?
