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Arthur, I am not sure where you are going with this. We should invade China or something? Want to start WW3? Silicon Valley has little to do with actual chip manufacturing anymore. Large employers like FB, Google etc are dependent on an ecosystem that is truly global in nature. It makes no sense...
@BlueNode Japan was once the king of long hours. Look where that landed them. 996 or whatever can be beat through high productivity any time. Present AND contributing is the key. Fabs are fully automated in the end so hours worked do not have the impact that they would in other industries. The...
It's perilous to compare the job market situation in Taiwan with what's going on in the USA. As far as US-based factories are concerned, improving the quality of the jobs is where companies fall short (hours, flexibility, management support...)
@Arthur Hanson I add that even assuming the very unlikely scenario of a non-destructive takeover of Taiwan, sabotage would quickly cripple whatever remaining IC capacity. Fabs are fragile objects not hardened against internal threats - see Wannacry or the photoresist switchero at tsmc. just use...
The fact that we are trading gives us some leverage. Give us fair IP treatment, open borders without unwritten rules (which should be allowed on WTO rules) and let's partner on climate change and other global challenges. Agree to push Taiwan into the far future (in other words when we are dead)...
Globalization is beneficial. Localization is a pipe dream used to fleece taxpayers in Japan, Europe and US. Globalization allows each company to focus on what they do best. I do not want to buy a Ford surgical mask because it's not what Ford is good at (they made masks during covid). The current...
@Daniel Nenni I lived in Taiwan for a few years. Does not make me an expert by any means. Cost of living may be lower than Silicon Valley but it is higher than many places in the USA, especially when you take into account wages which are considerably lower than here on average. That stands in...
@Daniel Nenni TSMC pays well (for Taiwan) but the entire ecosystem does not (at least compared to here - I know, I am part of it). Remember that not everyone you meet inside a TSMC fab is on the TSMC payroll.
TSMC does have a unique ability to align large groups of well educated engineers and...
@benb there are plenty of electrical scooters in China. Most Taiwanese would prefer cars if they could afford them or park them. One point that does not get mentioned here: wages in Taiwan are kept low via "consultations" between the large employers. TSMC pays little (by US standards) but more...
I have worked as a supplier to all three. There are very significant cultural differences between the 3 organizations. TSMC: thousands upon thousands of engineers and PhDs marching to the SAME drum. Their ability to achieve large scale coordination of purpose is unmatched. TSMC: wide open to new...
My 2 cents: I would say boost in R&D but less capex for purpose of capacity build out. TMSC wants more capacity to accommodate more customers (Intel amongst them). intel is not trying to accommodate new customers, only to maintain/augment their lead in server/PC etc. New customers = more...
In the next 5 years, TSMC and Samsung capex will top $100b EACH. There are many reasons that manufacturing has migrated around but looking back at capex in past 10 years tells you much. You can't ship without tools and the US did not buy many tools in past decade (wrt these other companies)...
@kg5q I ran into hundreds of people like you in my 30 years in NA chip making, all are shaking their heads. Like others, I am now pursuing opportunities in Asia as there is little to no native growth here, TI, SAS and GF exceptions. Intel is kryptonite for all external suppliers so one is...
ASMC 2021 is organizing a panel discussion (May) to look at these issues (where will fabs be built and why). There are many ways to think about the past and many good points were made in this thread.
I would argue that the 200 to 300 mm transition was not kind to US manufacturers. Most did not...
@coldsolder215 No need for heated rhetoric here.
Malta is the ONLY green field 300 mm factory built in last years (not an expansion). 19 new factories is pure fantasy, no matter what SIA or DoD says.
ASMC 2021 is organizing a panel discussion in May that will cover "the geography of...
@hist78 One last point that has a major impact on manufacturing: the value of US dollar is disconnected from "real" economy. The US dollar is both our domestic currency and a global instrument to settle payments between all major countries. Until a significant amount of 3rd party transactions...
@hist78 - USA IC manufacturing did not make a good transition to 300 mm (only a handful went there in the end) and did terrible at adapting to evolution (dominance?) of the foundry model.
We are still deriving many dollars out of the IC business in design, software and equipment, just not in...
Do we need to politicize everything including this forum?
I fear that:
1- the CHIPS act is too small and too late
2- It does not address fundamental problems with manufacturing competitiveness in USA
3- The overwhelming # of fabs to be built in the next 3 years will be in Taiwan and China...
