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,

"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.

TSMC, the Taiwanese company and world’s largest chipmaker, reported a net profit of $11.37 billion for the fourth quarter, representing a 57 percent year-on-year increase and the highest quarterly profit in the company’s history,