They did! It's called "Intel".

And GlobalFoundries (ex-AMD, ex-IBM). There's also less cutting edge process stuff at ONSemi, TI, Micron, Analog Devices, Diodes Inc and I'm sure I'm missing a few.

Even Apple has their own fab.

I hadn’t heard about Apple, is the node size public?

They picked up the old Maxim fab in San Jose almost 10 years ago. Not sure what's happening in there now and I assume the people who do aren't likely to spill the beans :) unless its as shuttered I guess.

[1] https://appleinsider.com/articles/15/12/14/apple-buys-former...

The San Jose facility is active. There was some controversy surrounding it recently as some members of the public have been complaining that they’ve been illegally releasing solvents into the environment, which resulted in some EPA investigation/enforcement action [1].

According to some reports they may be developing micro-LED display tech there, not necessarily chips.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40772224

GF is 14/12 nm. Not really cutting edge anymore

Build a workforce with the world's leading company. Pull those people into senior positions at new companies nearby. An industry is born and competition can grow. All with export limits so the jobs hopefully can't be outsourced.

Its called Intel Foundry

This was build by TSMC, that's why it was completed in a few years. They have the know-how.

Wrong question. They'd still be buying Zeiss

Have you even met Americans? We're terrible at this kind of thing.

Do you know who invented and developed transistors, microchips and their manufacturing processes?

Are the inventors of the wheel still in the driver's seat?

The past is another country.

Find me a modern US exec willing to actually invest in a risky hardware prospect, rather than throwing a billion dollars into real estate or "content" that can be filled with ads.

Tim Cook seems to have done okay with what a bunch of tech pundits said was a risky move compared to sticking with Intel.

Considering how Intel doesn't tend to hold grudge-matches with their customers, I seriously doubt there was any risk in the first place. If TSMC yields were too low to mass-produce Apple Silicon, they could easily ship out another copy-paste Macbook iteration with Magic Keyboard and nobody would care what chip it had inside.

With the benefit of hindsight, it feels more like Intel and Apple were in a race to see who would outsource the Mac chip first. Since Apple already had the supply chain set up for the iPhone, cutting Intel out of the equation was mostly just a matter of designing an SOC. They took the opportunity, and now we're seeing Intel glumly admit that they too can be energy-efficient if they swallow their pride and pay TSMC.