Inside Arizona: How Global Investors Enter America's Fastest-Rising Tech Hub
As of early 2026, Taiwan has become Arizona's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade surpassing US$21.2 billion. On top of its committed US$165 billion investment, TSMC recently pledged an additional US$100 billion at its latest earnings call. The TSMC effect has drawn in over 200 major players including Intel, Apple, and NVIDIA, propelling Phoenix to become the second-largest data center market in the US.
Since 2020, Arizona has attracted more than 70 semiconductor expansions and over US$314 billion in investment—the most of any state—and is projected to create some 80,000 jobs over the next five years while producing roughly 20% of the world's most advanced chips. By 2030, Arizona is poised to stand alongside Oregon's Silicon Forest and New York's chip corridor as one of America's principal semiconductor hubs, with a complete ecosystem spanning chip design to advanced packaging.
Beyond the semiconductor cluster, Arizona offers the lowest flat individual income tax in the US at 2.5%, a 4.9% corporate income tax, and top-ranked infrastructure. As global capital races to stake its claim, how should Taiwan's investors and founders enter this market—and what local resources can they tap?
▍Arizona, in the Room
The Arizona Commerce Authority is bringing around 40 representatives to Taipei. Alongside the state's economic development agency are mayors and economic development directors from Buckeye, Surprise, Scottsdale, Goodyear, Avondale, Maricopa and Tucson, plus Pima County Economic Development, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the Chamber of Southern Arizona.
Travelling with them are the people companies actually hire when they land: real estate and land advisers including JLL, Lee & Associates, Stream Realty Partners and Land Advisors Organization; engineering and construction consultancies including Farnsworth Group, Olsson and Rider Levett Bucknall; and title, insurance and legal counsel including Dorsey & Whitney LLP.
So if your question is what a building costs, how long the permit takes, where the people come from, or who to call first — the answer is in the room.
▍Taiwan's Gateway to North America
This April, SIC and the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) signed an MOU on cross-border tech startup investment, focused on four sectors—semiconductor supply chain, medical biotech, aerospace and defense, and AI—to build a clear pathway for Taiwanese startups and investors into the North American market. For this SIC Meet Genius, we're honored to welcome Agnese Sturmane, Vice President of International Trade & Investment at the Arizona Commerce Authority, who will offer a firsthand, government-level view of market-entry pathways, tax incentives, and soft-landing resources, along with her outlook on the next wave of investment and entrepreneurship.
▍Five Things You'll Take Away
🔹 How to Enter: A state-government view of the pathways and entry points for global capital into the Arizona market.
🔹 What It Actually Costs: Beyond the 2.5% flat tax: operating cost comparisons, incentive programs, and the concrete support available to foreign investors and incoming companies.
🔹 Where to Land: An opportunity map across the Greater Phoenix metro, from the semiconductor corridor to the emerging clusters around it.
🔹 Soft-Landing Infrastructure: How a university-run incubator with international soft-landing designation walks a foreign company through US market entry.
🔹 Who to Call: Direct access to the economic development officers, site selectors, engineers and counsel who handle Arizona expansions day to day.
▍Event Details
Date: Aug 31, 3:00–4:30 PM
Venue: Songyan Creative Hub, Taipei｜Directions Map
Fee: NT$1000 (complimentary registration available for SIC members / portfolio companies)
The organizers reserve the right to make final amendments to, reinterpret, or cancel this event.
▍Agenda
3:00–3:30 PM｜Registration & networking
3:30–4:30 PM｜Global Investment & Opportunity Sharing Session
4:35–5:10 PM｜Startup Pitch
5:10–6:00 PM｜Open Consultation & Networking
▍Co-Hosts
Sustainable Impact Capital (SIC)
Founded in 2022, SIC has grown into one of Taiwan's most dynamic angel investment networks—some 200 angels across 13+ cities on 5 continents, including entrepreneurs, second-generation business leaders, and top executives. SIC invests across deep tech, AI, healthcare, circular economy, and impact-driven innovation, aligning its work with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Track record: 35+ startups backed, with ~US$15.7M in direct investment and ~US$6.7M in co-investments enabled (a 2.35x leverage ratio).
Notable portfolio: Quantinuum (quantum-computing unicorn, US$15B+ market cap at its June 2026 Nasdaq IPO), Together AI, and CloudMile, among others.
More than investing: 226 community events over three years (~6 per month), with 5,000+ participants to date.
Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)
The Arizona Commerce Authority is the state's leading economic development organization, with a core mission to grow and strengthen the local economy by driving business expansion, investment attraction, and startup development. It maintains a trade office in Taipei and has long fostered bilateral trade and investment between Taiwan and Arizona.