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In the closing scene of Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the camera pulls back to reveal an enormous warehouse stacked with crates of artifacts hidden away by the US government.
One could imagine a similar warehouse in China today. The crates would hold a different kind of treasure – semiconductor production … Read More
After the Biden administration upped the ante in the tech war by restricting China’s access to advanced US semiconductor technology, the $64,000 question was “How might Beijing respond?”
Punishing American companies in China (like Apple and Tesla) was not considered likely given the employment they generate – Apple… Read More
The CHIPS and Science Act has its fair share of critics, with detractors calling it corporate welfare for “losers” like Intel, or lacking guardrails to prevent companies making legacy chips in China.
One of the most vocal opponents of the act has been China’s communist-ruled government.
CHIPS – an acronym for Creating Helpful … Read More
Pinpointing exactly when 450mm died is tricky. Intel’s pullback in 2014 has been cited as a pivotal moment because it was the main backer of the proposed transition, as it had been for the shift to 150mm (6-inch) wafers in the early 1980s.
However, the participation of global foundry leader TSMC was also seen as crucial if 450mm wafers… Read More
The original Silicon Shield theory, as described in my 2001 book, stated that Taiwan’s role as producer of 90 per cent of the world’s IT products (at that time) protected it from an attack by China because the United States, acting in its own self interest, would come to the island’s defense. A similar scenario – involving oil,… Read More
TSMC drew the ire of Chinese state media last week after it complied with the US Department of Commerce request to submit supply chain data by the November 8 deadline.
The Chinese reports, which called it an act of “surrender” to US hegemony, were careful in laying blame on Taipei for caving in to Washington, rather than pointing fingers… Read More
Lithography is arguably the most important step in semiconductor manufacturing. Today’s state-of-the-art EUV scanners are incredibly complex machines that cost as much as a new Boeing jetliner.
From humble beginnings in 1984 as a joint venture with Philips, ASML has grown to become the world’s second largest chip equipment… Read More
Mad scientists have been a staple of Hollywood science fiction since Dr Victor Frankenstein created his eponymous monster in 1931. Pre-pandemic, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the main source of on-screen geeks-turned-superheroes, from Iron Man’s Tony Stark to Ant Man’s Hank Pym.
When it comes to real-life scientists on… Read More
TSMC 16th OIP Ecosystem Forum First Thoughts