TSMC's new U.S. plant is unlikely to get the most advanced chip technology before factories in Taiwan due to complex compliance issues, local construction regulations and various permitting requirements,

TSMC, which makes chips for Nvidia, reported net income of $11.6 billion. Its CFO said this was supported by "strong demand" for its advanced chips.

"Every step requires a permit, and after the permit is approved, it takes at least twice as long as in Taiwan," Wei said late on Thursday at a National Taiwan University event. He added that it would therefore be hard for TSMC to use its latest technology in the US before Taiwan.