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TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

(www.reuters.com)
437 points adventured | 4 comments | 15 May 21 00:49 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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xenihn ◴[15 May 21 01:55 UTC] No.27161581[source]▶
I've been thinking about what would happen if there's an actual military crisis between China and Taiwan. I wonder if the United States would allow (and aid with) unlimited immigration from Taiwan for educated specialists, in an attempt to capture/retain as much skills and knowledge as possible.
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1. refenestrator ◴[15 May 21 02:00 UTC] No.27161604[source]▶
The TSMC chip bottleneck makes it a red line for the US and China knows that. They're patient, no need to do it in a time period when it guarantees maximum blowback.
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2. kragen ◴[15 May 21 03:00 UTC] No.27161925[source]▶
On the other hand, the US has been aggressively escalating the TSMC conflict with targeted attacks on the PRC's nuclear and supercomputing capabilities: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/04/us-adds-chinese-... and semiconductor fabrication has been a key technology for several five-year plans. So the PRC's patience may run out sooner than you think.
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3. refenestrator ◴[15 May 21 03:47 UTC] No.27162166[source]▶
Way better ROI to invest in more capabilities than engage in a zero-sum conflict which will inevitably trash the fabs in Taiwan anyways.

Those trade restrictions just galvanize the Chinese to develop the capabilities themselves. And their system doesn't create a need for a big splashy foreign conflict to sell to the hogs for votes. They're more capable of making the smart play than we are.

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4. kragen ◴[15 May 21 04:08 UTC] No.27162267{3}[source]▶
Chinese reunification seems unlikely to trash the fabs in Taiwan.