NOVEMBERASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK8NEWSROOMUSA AWARDS TSMC $6.6B TO SETUP MANUFACTURING UNITS ON HOME SOILBrazilian planemaker Embraer announced on Sunday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia's PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) to expand their collaboration in commercial aviation. Embraer, the world's third-largest aircraft manufacturer, following Airbus and Boeing, has a strong presence in Indonesia, where the Indonesian Air Force operates a fleet of A-29 Super Tucanos and where several Embraer executive jets are in use.The agreement was formalized on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, attended by key Indonesian authorities. The partnership will focus on joint studies to explore opportunities in engineering and the supply of aero-structures, according to Embraer.PTDI President Gita Amperiawan expressed excitement over the collaboration, highlighting the company's ambitions for Indonesia's aerospace industry. Embraer executive Rodrigo Silva e Souza emphasized that Indonesia is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world and that the partnership would leverage both parties' expertise to enhance Indonesia's aerospace capabilities and improve the country's air connectivity. The United States will award Taiwanese chip giant TSMC up to US$6.6 billion in direct funding to help build several plants on US soil, officials said Friday (Nov 15), finalizing the deal before a new administration enters the White House."Today's final agreement with TSMC - the world's leading manufacturer of advanced semiconductors - will spur US$65 billion dollars of private investment to build three state-of-the-art facilities in Arizona," said President Joe Biden in a statement.The Biden administration's announcement comes shortly before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has recently criticized the CHIPS Act, a major law passed during Biden's tenure aimed at strengthening the US semiconductor industry.While the US government has unveiled over US$36 billion in grants through this act, including the award to TSMC, much of the funds remain in the due diligence phase and have not been disbursed.But once a deal is finalized, funds can start flowing to companies that have hit certain milestones. TSMC is the second company after Polar Semiconductor to finalize its agreement."Currently, the United States does not make on our shores any leading-edge chips, and this is the first time ever that we'll be able to say we will be making these leading-edge chips in the United States," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters Thursday."I want to remind everyone that these are the chips that run AI and quantum computing. These are the chips that are in sophisticated military equipment," Raimondo added. INDONESIA LOOKS TO BRAZIL TO EMPOWER THEIR AVIATION PROWESS
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