Two new US semiconductor fabs are close to running. Samsung's first fab in Taylor, Texas is preparing to begin operations by the end of 2026, and TSMC's second Arizona fab expects volume production in the third quarter of 2027. After them come Intel's Fab 62 (end of 2028), GlobalFoundries' first Malta, New York fab (2029) and Samsung's Taylor Fab 2 (mass production in 2030).
A fifth project, a possible TSMC campus in Texas, has no announced schedule. Four of these projects posted milestones in October 2026. For a supplier, contractor or plant manager, the real question is which of them changes an order book or a hiring plan in 2027. That depends less on the opening year than on the phase each project is in today.
Read the opening dates carefully
Each company describes its target differently. Intel says it expects "operations to begin" at Fab 62. GlobalFoundries says its first Malta fab will open, or become operational, in 2029. Samsung gives a "mass production" target for Taylor Fab 2. TSMC talks about "volume production" in Arizona. These are not the same milestone, and every one of them is a company target, not a commitment. Fab schedules in this industry have moved before. Use these dates to plan when to start bidding, not when to book revenue.
A firmness scale for the October milestones
Ranked by how far along each project is (our editorial framing, based on the verified phase of each):
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Tools going in: Intel Fab 62, Chandler, Arizona.
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Foundation in place, groundbreaking pending: Samsung Taylor Fab 2, Texas.
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Funded and permitted, ground not yet broken: GlobalFoundries' first new fab in Malta, New York.
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Site visits only: TSMC Texas.
Malta's 2029 date comes before Taylor Fab 2's 2030 target, but Samsung's site is further along. Its mayor says the piers and foundation are already poured. The order above is about physical progress, not the calendar.
Intel Fab 62, Chandler: tool installation underway
Intel's newsroom update, reproduced by Metro Phoenix on Oct. 22, says: "construction and tool installation at Fab 62 are now fully underway, and we expect operations to begin by the end of 2028." Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel Foundry's executive vice president and CTO/COO, shared the update.
Fab 62 will be the sixth high-volume manufacturing facility on Intel's Ocotillo campus. It is part of Intel's previously announced investment of more than $32 billion in Arizona. Intel has not given a separate cost, capacity, process node or job count for Fab 62. The neighboring Fab 52 is Intel's 18A manufacturing site, according to Chamber Business News.
Supplier read: Fab 62 is the project generating work right now. Tool move-in means demand for equipment installers, tool hookup and process piping contractors, gas and chemical distribution, and facilities technicians. On the labor side, Chamber Business News reports that the Arizona Commerce Authority put $4 million behind Intel's first US registered apprenticeship program for manufacturing facility technicians. Local shops competing for the same technicians should expect that pipeline to shape wages and retention in the Phoenix market.
Samsung Taylor Fab 2: foundation poured, groundbreaking planned
In its second-quarter 2026 earnings statement on July 30, Samsung said it is "preparing to break ground on our second Taylor fab by the end of this year," with mass production targeted for 2030, according to the Korea Times. DigiTimes reported on Oct. 16 that Samsung plans to start construction in November 2026, while the first Taylor fab "prepares to begin operations by the end of the year." As of Oct. 28, no completed groundbreaking had been reported. November is still a plan.
Much of the site work is already done. Taylor Mayor Jim Buzan told the Korea JoongAng Daily in August: "When Samsung built Fab 1, they also put in the piers and foundation for Fab 2. They preplanned it several years back." He added that Samsung "will be able to move more quickly on Fab 2 than they were on Fab 1."
The same report says Samsung's committed Taylor investment is $37 billion. The site covers 1,268 acres and is zoned for up to 10 factories. The city will process all of Samsung's wastewater, and the supplier iMarket is building in Taylor. The paper also reported that Tesla's AI5 chip will be the first product at full-scale production in 2027, and that Samsung had not yet received any of its $4.745 billion CHIPS award.
Supplier read: Fab 2 is about to enter civil and structural work, so the near-term opportunity is for construction trades in 2027. Equipment, gas and chemical contracts come in later years. The bigger opportunity for 2027 may be Fab 1's ramp. Some local infrastructure is already in place: wastewater capacity and at least one supplier located near the site.
GlobalFoundries Malta: funded and shovel-ready
On Oct. 14, GlobalFoundries announced that Japan will provide up to $21 billion for two 300mm fabs at GF's Malta, New York site under the US-Japan investment initiative. Japan supplies the investment and GF operates the fabs, according to Manufacturing Dive and Spectrum News. About $10 billion goes to the first fab. A second investment of about $10 billion would fund another fab later.
Groundbreaking on the first fab is expected later in 2026. Manufacturing Dive says GF plans to open it in 2029, and Spectrum News says it is "expected to become operational in 2029." When fully operational, each fab is expected to add about 900,000 300mm wafers a year of US capacity.
ConstructConnect reports about 27,000 construction and ecosystem jobs in the Capital Region, plus more than 1,000 high-skilled manufacturing jobs. Spectrum News describes the 27,000 as "construction and planning jobs." No construction contractor or detailed schedule has been announced. GF said it will announce groundbreaking details separately and called the site "permitted and shovel-ready."
Two related agreements are part of the deal. GF will reallocate $955 million of its existing CHIPS award toward silicon photonics, silicon-germanium and advanced packaging in Malta and Burlington, Vermont. Under a separate agreement, the Commerce Department receives about 4% equity in GF.
"This is a bold new initiative for semiconductor manufacturing, bringing together the United States and Japan," GF CEO Tim Breen said. Grant McEwan, general manager of Fab 8, told Spectrum News: "These two great countries entrusting GF to operate two new fabs is a powerful vote of confidence in our workforce."
Supplier read: Capital Region trades and regional suppliers should plan for a build that runs several years. With no contractor named, this is the time to get prequalified, not to plan staffing. The $955 million reallocation separately points to packaging and photonics work in Malta and Burlington, which is a different supplier pool from the new 300mm fab.
TSMC Texas: assessment only
On TSMC's Oct. 15 earnings call, Chairman C.C. Wei confirmed that teams had been sent to Texas to assess conditions for a possible expansion, according to TrendForce and DigiTimes. Wei also confirmed talks on Elon Musk's Terafab project. He said the outcome is uncertain and that any fab involving TSMC would have to be operated by TSMC.
Bloomberg reported earlier in October that TSMC is weighing a Texas campus with several plants, each costing at least $20 billion. Bloomberg said the plans are early and depend on extending the 35% advanced-manufacturing tax credit, which expires at the end of 2026. Sens. Mike Crapo and Ron Wyden support an extension, but Bloomberg reported that no viable path to passage had emerged this year. TSMC told Bloomberg: "We have no comment on market rumors." The company has committed $265 billion to Arizona.
For context, TrendForce reports that construction of TSMC's second Arizona fab is complete, equipment installation is underway, and volume production is expected in the third quarter of 2027, slightly ahead of schedule.
Supplier read: Don't budget for TSMC Texas. The TSMC work available in 2027 is in Arizona, where tools are going in now. Treat Texas as a watch item that depends on the tax-credit vote.
Where each project stands: a supplier timing table
Phases and dates come from the reporting above. The supplier exposure columns are ManufacturingMag analysis. No supplier contracts for these fabs were verified.
| Project | Phase (Oct. 28, 2026) | Next dated milestone | Exposed now | Exposed later |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Taylor Fab 1, TX | Preparing to begin operations | Operations by end of 2026; full-scale production of first product (Tesla AI5) in 2027 | Ramp support, materials, gas and chemical supply | Ongoing maintenance and consumables |
| TSMC Arizona Fab 2 | Construction complete; equipment installation underway | Volume production Q3 2027 | Tool hookup, installation, facilities technicians | Production materials and service |
| Intel Fab 62, Chandler, AZ | Construction and tool installation fully underway | Operations by end of 2028 | Equipment installers, process piping, gas and chemical distribution, facilities technicians | Materials, maintenance and service once operating |
| Samsung Taylor Fab 2, TX | Groundbreaking planned (November, per DigiTimes); not confirmed | Groundbreaking by end of 2026; mass production 2030 | Civil and structural bidding | Equipment, gas and chemical contracts in later years |
| GlobalFoundries Malta Fab 1, NY | Funded; site permitted and shovel-ready; no contractor named | Groundbreaking later in 2026; operational 2029 | Capital Region trades preparing for bids | Equipment and hookup; packaging and photonics work tied to the $955M reallocation |
| TSMC Texas | Assessment teams sent; plans early | None announced; tax credit expires end of 2026 | None | Depends on the tax credit and a site decision |
The policy line item to track
Purchasing and capex teams don't need to follow every chip-policy headline. They should follow one: whether the 35% advanced-manufacturing tax credit is extended before it expires at the end of 2026. Bloomberg ties TSMC's Texas plans directly to it, and it is the policy item most likely to move the later-stage timelines. Until it is resolved, the 2027 opportunity for most suppliers is in Arizona and in Samsung's Taylor ramp. The Malta and Taylor Fab 2 construction starts are next in line.
Related reading
Sources
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DigiTimes: Samsung to break ground on second Texas chip fab in November (Oct. 16, 2026)
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Metro Phoenix: Intel Advances Fab 62 at Ocotillo Chandler (Oct. 22, 2026)
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TrendForce: TSMC Sends Team to Assess Texas Fab Expansion (Oct. 15, 2026)
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DigiTimes: Why is TSMC suddenly looking at Texas? (Oct. 23, 2026)