South Korea's largest company has decided on the city of Taylor, roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) from its giant manufacturing hub in Austin, a person familiar with the matter said. Samsung and

Samsung wants more American clients and narrow the gap with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Its decision, which came months after de facto leader Jay Y. Lee was released from prison on parole, follows plans by TSMC and Intel to spend billions on cutting-edge facilities globally.

The industry triumvirate is racing to meet a post-pandemic surge in demand that has stretched global capacity to the max, while anticipating more and more connected devices from cars to homes will require chips in future.

The plant will cost Samsung $17 billion to set up.  Texas has the advantage of a cheaper workforce, but it does come with some slight issues.

The power supply is about as reliable as an Amtrak passenger service between New York and New Orleans.