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Re:TSMC Announces Intention to Build and Operate Advanced Se... by ChuckMcM on Thursday May 14, 2020 @05:16PM (#23185583)
This would be an interesting turn of events if it came to pass. It would certainly add good data to the argument that TSMC chips are cheaper because of the economics of east Asia.

The geopolitical aspects are, to me at least, a bit over blown. Yes there has been growing concern about the integrity of the supply chain for critical resources, but that is the whole globalization problem in a nutshell. I find the calls to re-vertically-integrate the US to not be very persuasive in terms of practicality. Maybe if Canada and Mexico join the US in an economic union similar to the EU? Chips are just one part of a much larger puzzle and fabs are just one part of a supply chain that includes stops in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam for packaging and testing.

I do think it has been made abundantly clear how interdependent the world is these days. It is possible that the new clarity has caused some powerful forces to reconsider their world view. But has it changed it enough to create real and meaningful policy change? (For context, I see globalization as a means of maximizing profits, not about politics)

To my way of thinking, real change would be the ability to economically stand up a 100mm 5nm fab line profitably. That would allow the production of "jelly bean" chips (general purpose < 100M gates). That would be a pretty seismic change in my opinion.

Re:TSMC Announces Intention to Build and Operate Advanced Se... by YinLuck- on Thursday May 14, 2020 @07:31PM (#23186993)
>(For context, I see globalization as a means of maximizing profits, not about politics)

Globalization is just a euphemism for hegemony. First it was the British Empire, then the American Empire.

Re:TSMC Announces Intention to Build and Operate Advanced Se... by renw0rp on Friday May 15, 2020 @02:04AM (#23189376)
And now is the Chinese turn?
Re:TSMC Announces Intention to Build and Operate Advanced Se... by ngcc_hk on Friday May 15, 2020 @02:41AM (#23189582)
To be honest the chinese even study its raise up and have a long tv series about it — war is inevitable. Hence the peaceful raise of china is the slogan. They know you do not. Nearly 20 years of sending in students, researchers, 1000 person scheme etc. They win if it is not Xi, you may not even know until too late.
Re:TSMC Announces Intention to Build and Operate Advanced Se... by inawarminister on Friday May 15, 2020 @11:15AM (#23193104)
Probably not. The British century was built on the back of dead Germans and Russians containing Napoleonic France. The American century was built on the back of dead Russians and Western European ruins by Nazi Germany. If the third time's the charm, then the next Hegemon would be the faction that successfully minimise its own losses in a WW3, so either India or Europe(an Union).

Then again, history doesn't repeat, it rhymes.