After Helen Wang finishes work at the new microchip plant looming over the Arizona desert, she drives home to start her side hustle: cooking pots of spicy beef soup and pork noodles for Taiwanese colleagues who are hungry for a taste of home.

在亚利桑那州的荒漠里，赫然耸立着一座新落成的微芯片工厂，海伦·王（音）下班后开车回家，开始她的副业：为渴望家乡味道的台湾同事做辛辣牛肉汤和猪肉面。

There were almost no Asian groceries or Taiwanese restaurants nearby when the first workers began landing on the northern edge of Phoenix two years ago to work at a chip factory operated by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

两年前，当第一批员工来到菲尼克斯北郊，在台积电的芯片厂工作时，附近几乎没有亚洲超市或台湾餐馆。

Since then, the workers and their families have turned a mostly white corner of strip-mall suburbia into a Tiny Taipei.

在那以后，台积电的员工及其家眷已经把一个以白人为主的郊区购物带变成了小台北。

Taiwanese businesses are popping up near taquerias and nail salons. Taiwanese cooks have joined Ms. Wang in ferrying meals to the chip factory’s parking lot. Supermarkets have started stocking Taiwanese sauces and noodles. The sound of Mandarin floats through day care centers and schools, where 282 Taiwanese students are enrolled this year.

台商在墨西哥快餐店和美甲沙龙附近如雨后春笋般涌现出来。台湾厨师和王女士一起，把饭菜送到芯片厂的停车场。超市里已经能找到台湾酱汁和面条了。在托儿所和学校，四处都能听到国语，今年有282名台湾学生在那里入学。

The spaceshiplike factory drawing thousands of workers and their families to the area is a crucial part of President Biden’s effort to bolster advanced chip production in the United States. The company, known as TSMC, has committed $65 billion to the project and is set to receive $6.6 billion in grants through the CHIPS and Science Act.

这座工厂像宇宙飞船一样，吸引了数千名台积电员工及其家眷来到该地区，这是拜登总统促进美国先进芯片生产的重要一环。台积电已承诺向该项目投入650亿美元，并将透过《芯片与科学法案》获得66亿美元的拨款。

Now, the future of TSMC’s Arizona factory — and the lives of its Taiwanese workers here — may rest on whether President-elect Donald J. Trump tries to undercut government aid for the company or imposes new restrictions on foreign workers. Although the TSMC project began during Mr. Trump’s first term, he has criticized the CHIPS Act and accused Taiwan of poaching the American semiconductor industry, and a debate over visas for skilled workers has already caused a rift among Mr. Trump’s backers.

但现在，台积电亚利桑那州工厂的未来——以及这里的台湾工人的生活——可能取决于候任总统唐纳德·特朗普是否会削弱对该公司的政府援助，或对外国员工施加新限制。尽管台积电项目是在特朗普第一任期内开始的，但他批评了《芯片法案》，并指责台湾偷走了美国半导体产业，而且关于技术工人签证的争论已经在特朗普的支持者中造成了分歧。

For the Taiwanese workers, the shifting geopolitics of immigration and trade are far beyond their control. They said their main concerns were long workdays spent trying to bring the plant online while adjusting to a new life of eight-lane freeways, children’s play dates and blistering desert heat 7,200 miles from home.

对于台籍员工来说，移民和贸易的地缘政治变化远不是他们能左右的。他们说，主要的担忧是，一方面要加班加点尽快使工厂投入运营，一方面还要适应新的生活，包括八车道的高速公路，为孩子找玩伴和距离家乡1.15万公里的酷热荒漠。

The growing numbers of workers are seeding a cultural and demographic shift where the Phoenix sprawl melts into the Sonoran Desert. Real estate developers are converting a beige outdoor mall into an Asian shopping center. Its name, 808 Union Hills Plaza, plays up the lucky number eight in Chinese numerology. The wife of one engineer at TSMC’s plant has already opened a boba tea shop there. Other developers are hoping to build Taiwanese-style townhouses in the desert off a dead-end road near the factory.

在这个菲尼克斯与索诺兰沙漠的交界处，外籍员工数量的增加正在推动这里的文化和人口结构的转变。房地产开发商正在把一个米色的户外商场改造成亚洲购物中心。它的名字是联合山广场808号，8在中国的命理学中是一个吉利数。台积电工厂一位工程师的妻子在那里开了一家奶茶店。其他开发商希望在工厂附近一条死路旁的荒漠中建造台湾风格的联排别墅。

“It all happened so quickly,” said Wen Chang, a Taiwanese restaurateur who moved to Arizona this year from New Mexico when he heard about the influx of new workers.

“一切都发生得太快了，”因为听说来了许多新员工，今年从新墨西哥州搬到亚利桑那州的台湾餐馆老板张文权说道。

Mr. Chang opened Taiwan Bistro, a stir-fry restaurant a 15-minute drive from the plant, and now delivers dozens of boxed lunches there every workday. Many evenings, the restaurant is packed with Taiwanese patrons singing karaoke and TSMC employees introducing signature dishes like three-cup chicken to their American co-workers.

张文权在距离工厂15分钟车程的地方开了一家名叫“Taiwan Bistro热炒168”的菜馆，现在每个工作日要向台积电的工厂送去数十份盒饭。许多晚上，餐厅里挤满了唱卡拉OK的台湾顾客，台积电的员工则向他们的美国同事介绍三杯鸡等招牌菜。

台积电表示，其位于菲尼克斯地区的第一家工厂预计将于2025年初投入商业生产。台积电的现任和前任员工表示，一些美国员工不习惯公司苛刻的工作文化和长时间的工作。这座仿若宇宙飞船的工厂吸引了数千名台积电员工及其家眷来到该地区，这是拜登总统促进美国先进芯片生产的重要一环。

“They say it feels like home, like a community center,” Mr. Chang said. “In America, you don’t have this kind of Taiwanese food culture and lifestyle. Many people find life quite dull.”

“他们说这里有家的感觉，像个社区中心，”张文权说。“在美国，缺乏这种台湾的饮食文化和生活方式。很多人觉得生活很无聊。”

New Taiwanese families said they had felt welcomed. Some of them had struggled with different traffic rules and the absence of universal health care. But as a whole, they are finding their feet in this diffusely populated land that is the opposite of Taiwan, an island of nearly 24 million people a little bigger in size than Maryland.

新来的台湾家庭表示，他们觉得自己受到了欢迎。其中一些人曾经遇到过困扰，比如这里有着不同的交通规则，缺乏全民医疗保险。但总的来说，他们正在找到自己的立足点，这片人口稀少的土地与台湾截然不同，后者是一个有近2400万人口的岛屿，面积比马里兰州略大。

But their arrival has stoked tension inside the plant, where about half of the approximately 2,200 employees have been brought in from Taiwan. Some other Taiwanese workers have come to Arizona on temporary contracts for constructing the factories. The company expects the proportion of American workers to increase as it builds out its plants.

然而，他们的到来在这座工厂内部引发了紧张局势，在约2200名员工中，有一半来自台湾。还有一些台籍员工则以临时合同的形式来到亚利桑那州，参与工厂建造工作。公司预计，随着工厂的扩建，美国员工的比例将会增加。

Labor unions in Arizona complained when TSMC sought visas for 500 Taiwanese workers to install highly specialized equipment. And 13 former employees have filed a lawsuit accusing TSMC of having an “anti-American culture.” The suit said TSMC had denied workers who were not Asian or Taiwanese opportunities to advance, giving them poorer evaluations and forcing them out of the company.

台积电为安装高度专业化设备的500名台湾员工申请签证，引发亚利桑那州工会的不满。有13名前员工提起诉讼，指控台积电存在“反美文化”。诉讼称，台积电拒绝给非亚裔或非台籍员工晋升的机会，给予他们较差的工作评估，并迫使他们离职。

TSMC declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in a statement that it believed in the value of a diverse work force and that it provided channels for employees to raise concerns.

台积电拒绝就这起诉讼发表评论，但在一份声明中表示，它相信多元化员工团队的价值，并为员工提供了表达担忧的管道。

Current and former TSMC employees have said some American workers are not accustomed to the company’s demanding workplace culture and rigorous hours. Cultural differences, including communication style, have led to frustration on both sides.

现任和前任台积电员工表示，一些美国员工不习惯公司苛刻的工作文化和严格的工作时间。包括沟通风格在内的文化差异导致双方都感到不满。

TSMC said its first factory in Phoenix was expected to begin commercial production in the first half of 2025. The company has two more factories in the pipeline. The plants will make advanced chips critical for enabling artificial intelligence and defense systems.

台积电表示，其在菲尼克斯的第一家工厂预计将于2025年上半年开始投入商业生产。该公司还有两家工厂正在筹建中。这些工厂将生产对实现人工智能和国防系统至关重要的先进芯片。

在听说会有很多新员工前来后，台湾餐厅“Taiwan Bistro热炒168”老板张文权今年从新墨西哥州搬到了亚利桑那州。这家餐厅距离台积电工厂有15分钟车程。餐厅经常挤满了唱卡拉OK的台湾顾客。

In more than a dozen interviews, Taiwanese workers, their spouses and their children said they had decided to uproot their old lives for a combination of new experiences, English education for their children and financial incentives — up to triple the usual salary along with perks like housing subsidies.

在十多次采访中，台湾员工及其配偶、子女表示，他们决定为了新的体验、子女的英语教育和经济激励（最高可达一般薪资的三倍，还有住房补贴等福利）而背井离乡。

“As long as you have thick skin, there are no problems,” said Katie Wang, a former TSMC contractor who moved to Phoenix with her husband and children in 2022.

“只要肯吃苦，就没有问题，”曾是台积电承包商的凯蒂·王说，她在2022年与丈夫和孩子搬到了菲尼克斯。

Employees said TSMC had helped their families with housing and transportation when they arrived. Leaders from an established Taiwanese community on the opposite side of the Phoenix metro area stepped in to help them learn English, get driver’s licenses and find Asian markets and doctors.

员工表示，台积电在他们到达时，帮助他们的家庭解决了住房和交通问题。在菲尼克斯大都会区另一侧一个老台湾社区的领袖人物出面，帮助他们学英语、拿驾照、找亚洲市场和医生。

In quiet ways, the TSMC families have started to announce their presence. Some place corporate awards in their front windows at apartment complexes near the factory. Children have joined baseball teams and dance classes, and parents have been invited to schools to explain Lunar New Year traditions. Deliveries of fermented bean paste and soy sauce from the Asian market Weee sit on their stoops alongside the more familiar sight of Amazon boxes.

台积电员工的家眷们以悄无声息的方式宣布他们的存在。在工厂附近的公寓楼，有人把公司发的奖放在前窗。孩子们加入了棒球队和舞蹈班，家长们还被邀请到学校讲解农历新年的传统。在他们的门廊上，除了能够看见我们相对熟悉的亚马逊包裹，还有亚超购物网站Weee送来的腐乳和酱油。

Two years ago, a Taiwanese pastor at the Northwest Chinese Baptist Church began offering English conversation classes at the request of a handful of people. These days, the classes attract more than 100 participants, many of them spouses of TSMC engineers.

两年前，西北华人浸信会的一位台湾牧师应少数人的要求开始提供英语会话课程。如今，这些课程吸引了100多名学员，其中许多是台积电工程师的配偶。

“Taiwanese people help Taiwanese people,” said Gary Chen, a real estate broker originally from Taiwan who helps as a translator during the English classes. “They have all kinds of different needs as an immigrant community. They didn’t have enough help.”

“台湾人帮台湾人，”来自台湾的房地产经纪人加里·陈说，他在英语课上帮忙做翻译。“作为移民社区，他们有各种不同的需求。他们没有得到足够的帮助。”

Many new arrivals use Line, the dominant messaging app in Taiwan, to ask more unexpected questions: How do you find a Mandarin-speaking dentist? Where can you buy hockey skates? Why is all American Chinese food so sweet?

许多新来者使用在台湾主流的即时通讯应用Line，提出更多意想不到的问题：如何找到讲国语的牙医？在哪里可以买到冰球鞋？为什么所有的美国中餐都这么甜？

“It’s so different,” said Rebecca Wang, 43, who moved to Phoenix with her husband and two young children in November 2022.

“这里太不一样了，”43岁的丽贝卡·王（音）说。她于2022年11月与丈夫和两个年幼的孩子搬到了菲尼克斯。

加里·陈是一名来自台湾的房地产经纪人，他在当地教堂为新移民开设的英语课程中担任翻译。新的体验、子女的英语教育和经济激励是台湾工人及其家人愿意搬到这里的原因。在菲尼克斯和索诺拉沙漠的交界处，不断增多的台湾劳动力正在推动文化和人口的转变。

Before she arrived, Ms. Wang said, people warned her that gangs were everywhere and that the streets were unsafe after dark. Instead, she said, she has been stunned by how many fathers show up at school pickup, and how quiet the streets of her new subdivision are. She said she did not know whether the family would stay after her husband’s three-year contract with TSMC ended. But last year, the family decided to buy a Spanish-tiled home with a palm tree out front and a pool out back.

丽贝卡·王说，来之前有人警告她说，这里到处都是帮派，天黑后街上很不安全。相反，她说，她看到有那么多父亲来接孩子放学，新小区的街道非常安静，这让她很震惊。她说，她不知道丈夫与台积电的三年合同结束后，一家人是否会留下来。但去年，他们决定买下一栋铺着西班牙瓷砖的房子，房前有一棵棕榈树，房后有一个游泳池。

“This is what we want from America,” Ms. Wang said.

“这就是我们想在美国得到的，”丽贝卡·王说。

Like many women whose husbands work at TSMC, Ms. Wang gave up her career in Taiwan to become a full-time mother in Arizona. She had been a project manager with a solar company, but she said the time difference and demands of caring for two young children made it impossible to sustain her job, especially when her husband often worked until 8 p.m.

像许多丈夫在台积电工作的女性一样，丽贝卡·王放弃了在台湾的事业，来到亚利桑那州当上了全职母亲。她曾是一家太阳能公司的项目经理，但她说，时差和照顾两个孩子的需求让她无法继续工作，尤其是丈夫经常工作到晚上8点。

Other women said finding work was hard when they spoke limited English and did not have the necessary visas. Instead, several have started their own businesses from home, selling meals and crafts, styling hair or doing nails.

还有一些女性说，由于英语水平有限，而且没有必要的签证，找工作很困难。不过，有几个人在家里做起了自己的生意，出售餐食和手工艺品，做美发或美甲工作。

Kate Yu, 33, started her business after her husband’s colleagues at TSMC began salivating over the braised chicken and pork belly she prepared for his lunches. She made extra for them and soon expanded into baked goods and Taiwanese staples like popcorn chicken and bubble tea. She now has her own cafe, Taiwan Mama, and opened a second location over the summer.

33岁的凯特·于（音）开始了创业，因为丈夫在台积电的同事们喜欢她为丈夫准备的红烧鸡和五花肉午餐。于是她为他们多做了一些，并很快将范围扩展到烘焙食品和台湾特色，比如鸡米花和珍珠奶茶。她现在有了自己的咖啡馆“台湾妈妈”，今年夏天还开了第二家分店。

“When we came here, we didn’t know what to do,” she said.

“刚来这里的时候，我们不知道该做什么，”她说。

Running a kitchen was a departure from her Taiwanese career as a computer engineer, but Ms. Yu’s grandfather and father had been chefs and had owned restaurants. Making milk tea and bento boxes felt like something familiar in an unfamiliar place. As her business grew, Ms. Yu’s mother flew over from Taiwan to help care for her three children.

打理后厨与她在台湾的电脑工程师工作天差地别，但她的祖父和父亲都是厨师，开过餐馆。在一个陌生的地方制作奶茶和便当，感觉很亲切。随着生意的发展，母亲从台湾过来帮忙照顾她的三个孩子。

She does not know whether the family will stay for good, but she has signed a five-year lease on the new restaurant. “When we first opened the store, it was simply because we craved some Taiwanese food,” she said. “I still find it hard to get used to things like burgers and pizzas. Occasionally is fine, but having them every day feels strange.”

她不知道一家人是否会永远留在这里，但她已经为新餐馆签了五年的租约。“刚开这家店的时候，只是因为我们想吃点台湾美食，”她说。“我仍然觉得很难习惯汉堡和披萨之类的东西。偶尔吃吃还好，但是每天都吃就感觉怪怪的。”