Driver killed in incident at Arizona plant being built by Taiwanese semiconductor giant

PHOENIX – A truck driver has been killed after a tank of waste material depressurized at a Phoenix construction site where workers are building an advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility that could produce tens of millions of chips to power smartphones, vehicles and data center servers.

Cesar Anguiano-Guitron, 41, was using a tractor-trailer to transport waste materials from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plant on Wednesday, police said.

Anguiano-Guitron was inspecting the tank for a possible problem when an uncontrolled depressurization occurred, causing it to be struck by a blunt object and thrown over 20 feet (6 meters).

He was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries. Police said the incident was under investigation.

TSMC Arizona officials said in a statement that no company employees or construction workers were injured on site and there was no damage to the plant’s equipment.

TSMC produces nearly all of the world’s cutting-edge microchips and plans to eventually do the same in the United States

Last month, President Joe Biden’s administration pledged to provide up to $6.6 billion so that the Taiwanese semiconductor giant can expand the facilities it is already building in Arizona and better ensure that the most advanced microchips are made domestically for the first time .

The funding is tied to a sweeping 2022 bill that Biden has hailed that aims to revitalize U.S. semiconductor production.