Driver killed in incident at Arizona facility that is being built by a Taiwanese semiconductor giant

PHOENIX — A truck driver has been killed after a tank holding waste material depressurized at a construction site in Phoenix, where workers are building an advanced semiconductor manufacturing plant that could supply tens of millions of chips for powering smartphones, vehicles and data center servers.

Cesar Anguiano-Guitron, 41, was taking waste material away from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plant site in a tractor trailer Wednesday, police said.

Anguiano-Guitron was inspecting the tank for a potential problem when an uncontrolled pressure release occurred, causing him 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 is under investigation.

Officials with TSMC Arizona said in a statement that no company employees or onsite construction workers were injured and there was no damage to the plant’s facilities.

TSMC produces nearly all of the leading-edge microchips in the world and plans to eventually do so in the U.S.

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 produced domestically for the first time.

The funding is tied to a sweeping 2022 law that Biden has celebrated and which is designed to revive U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.