Isn't TSMC building a fab in AZ? Anyway I'd say the "spice" in semiconductor production is rare earth elements, since the CCP controls most of their extraction (and has artificially lowered exports in the past)
> Anyway I'd say the "spice" in semiconductor production is rare earth elements, since the CCP controls most of their extraction
That's really only because of other countries outsourcing to China and not supporting domestic mining. There is no shortage of rare earths in other countries.
That's very true. European countries "go green" by exporting their mining pollution to China. They can then blame China for all the pollution problems.
Brilliant really. Get political points for "lowering emissions", then double dip getting more points for "being hard on China" while at the same time not hugely affecting the economy, jobs, or ticking off industrialists.
Yes, but the planned chips are an older generation right now and they'll be even older when the fab actually starts production. TSMC would never move cutting edge production outside of Taiwan.
It’s just such nincompoopery, people speculating about geopolitics. TSMC is owned by normal people who want to make money, if for some reason they aren’t able to trade, ownership will move out IP and put it on a USB key, and build elsewhere.
Just think about it rationally. If TSMC isn’t allowed to meet demand, well of course someone will be incentivized to move the IP elsewhere where you are permitted to meet demand. It would be such a colossal opportunity. Indeed shutting off TSMC would be great for other people interested in getting into chip manufacturing, in the same way that reducing competition in anything benefits producers.
The reason that doesn’t happen has nothing to do with geopolitics and everything to do with what every mainstream US politician has always been saying: subsidies, and the price of labor.
This is a naive take on Taiwan's status and China's attitude towards it. The simple fact is TSMC being in Taiwan greatly incentivizes western powers to protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression. Everyone knows it, especially the Taiwanese government.
