Here are 3 ways that TSMC is transforming north Phoenix

Article originally posted on AZ Central on May 6, 2026

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s $165 billion north Phoenix development is the largest construction project underway in the United States, and with it has come a ripple effect of massive proportions.

The area directly surrounding the development will eventually have a population the size of a small city, in an area that was not expected to develop for decades. The effects, which are already beginning to take shape, will be wide-reaching, growing development, driving education and cultural changes.

TSMC owns about three square miles of land at Loop 303 and Interstate 17. The land is surrounded by two other master-planned developments, known as Halo Vista and NorthPark.

Halo Vista, on the north side of Loop 303, has begun construction and will encompass about 2,300 acres. It is led by Mack Real Estate Group and McCourt Partners and will include a variety of development types. The area is expected to eventually contain more than 30 million square feet of buildings, with areas dedicated to manufacturing, office, education, retail, hospitality and apartments.

NorthPark, a 7,400-acre master plan south of Loop 303, was approved in late 2025. It will be heavily residential, with plans for about 15,000 housing units, including single-family homes and apartments, along with multiple schools, commercial development, and about 2,000 acres of natural open space.

Higher education eyes north Phoenix for ‘innovation zone’

Arizona State University is planning to create an “innovation zone” in north Phoenix near TSMC, where it will partner with other educational institutions and private industry to address needs for workforce, research and university partners. The zone will focus on everything from K-12 education through higher education, with research and support to all companies in the area, including others in the semiconductor industry.

ASU has also created programs for people moving to Arizona from Asia, including language classes and other programs to help people adjust to life in a new country. ASU has appointed Grace Shen O’Sullivan as vice president of TSMC Partnership Initiatives to work directly with TSMC to grow the relationship between the company and university.

Asian culture, languages grow in Phoenix

The burgeoning Asian population in north Phoenix has also exacerbated the need for foreign language services and businesses to cater to diverse tastes.

At HonorHealth’s Sonoran Crossing Medical Center OBGYN office, Medical Director Dr. Khai Ling Tan often speaks to her patients in Mandarin Chinese, the main language in Taiwan. Across HonorHealth’s system, there are 29 providers who speak Mandarin, with another five who speak Cantonese, a Chinese language that is prominent in southern China, Hong Kong and Macau, and the office will continue to post jobs with preference to hire Mandarin speakers.

Asian-oriented businesses have also flocked to north Phoenix.

Zongfu Li, a real estate investor, and some of his business partners, bought a commercial shopping center in north Phoenix near Seventh Steet and Union Hills Drive about three years ago with plans to create an Asian district.

So far, several Asian restaurants, including Taiwan Mama and Yama Sushi House have opened in the center, and the plaza will be the first Arizona location for Osaka Marketplace, a Japanese grocery store that will open in 2027.