The production of the first US-made Nvidia Blackwell wafer has been completed, a development that holds significant promise for the future of chip manufacturing in the United States.

“This is a historic moment for several reasons. It’s the very first time in recent American history that the single most important chip is being manufactured here in the United States by the most advanced fab, by TSMC, here in the United States,” stated Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia.

This wafer represents not just any chip but the critically sought-after Blackwell, which is in high demand among AI data center companies.

Ray Chuang, CEO of TSMC Arizona, remarked, “To go from arriving in Arizona to delivering the first U.S.-made NVIDIA Blackwell chip in just a few short years represents the very best of TSMC.”

However, it’s important to note that while this is a major step, it does not immediately imply mass production. The wafer has to undergo further processing before it can be transformed into finished chips.

The Blackwell wafer was produced using TSMC’s advanced 5 nm process technology. There are plans for future facilities to handle packaging in the US, but currently, that must be completed in Taiwan.

Despite the challenging landscape, the production of this wafer highlights the possibilities for American chip production amidst ongoing political tensions regarding technology supply chains.