TSMC has announced leadership changes at its U.S. operations, naming Vice President Ray Chuang as the new CEO of TSMC Arizona effective October 1. Chuang will succeed Dr. Y.L. Wang, who will return to Taiwan to continue serving as an operations executive.

According to TSMC, Wang's phase of the mission in Arizona has been completed, and he will step down from both the CEO and board positions at TSMC Arizona, with Chuang assuming both roles. The move highlights TSMC's push to accelerate its U.S. expansion and ramp up advanced process production at the Arizona fabs.

Chuang is regarded as one of TSMC's key figures in advanced nodes. Since 2020, he has served as senior fab director of Fab 18A, leading the successful ramp-up of 5nm and 4nm mass production. Before joining TSMC, he held engineering roles at Vishay and Intel. His appointment follows a series of management reshuffles at TSMC Arizona, including the addition of lithography expert Li-Kong Turn and Fab 15B veteran Su Bin-jia earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Wang's return to Taiwan has fueled speculation about TSMC's next generation of successors. Local media note that he is likely to be promoted to senior vice president by the end of the year, joining the company's emerging leadership bench. Following the retirement of senior executives J.K. Lin and Wei-Jen Lo, Wang and fellow operations vice president Dr. T.S. Chang are considered strong candidates for elevation, potentially clarifying the makeup of TSMC's third-generation successor lineup.

Industry observers view these changes as a pivotal step in both strengthening TSMC's overseas operations and shaping its long-term leadership transition.