US chip factory buildout faces possible delays as labor shortage nears 157,000 by 2030

The U.S. semiconductor reshoring push is hitting a structural labor wall: a projected shortage of nearly 157,000 skilled technicians by 2030 will delay cleanroom construction, tool installation, and yield ramping. This not only inflates hidden labor costs within fab CAPEX but also stalls localization of EUV lithography and advanced packaging technologies. Without complementary vocational training and immigration reforms, CHIPS Act subsidies risk being eroded by supply chain friction. TSMC (Taiwan, China) and Samsung may extend reliance on offshore commissioning teams, while SMIC accelerates domestic equipment validation loops. Over the next 18 months, delayed U.S. fab startups will become the norm, fragmenting mature-node capacity allocation and pushing global customers toward non-U.S. supply chains.