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Different markets. China brute-forced building cheap solar panels and flooded the market with them, and the markets generally prefer cheap panels to expensive
by npunt 9y ago
Different markets.
China brute-forced building cheap solar panels and flooded the market with them, and the markets generally prefer cheap panels to expensive ones. It's the kind of market China has historically excelled in - high volume, labor & environment intensive, relatively low tech.
Semiconductors are way more complex and the markets prefer the latest and greatest for a variety of reasons. Also (afaik) while fixed costs continue to grow at each new process node, variable costs for a given chip on each new node I believe are lower due to being able to produce more in a given wafer, so that further makes markets like the latest.
- sanxiyn 9y agoNow now... photovoltaics is "low tech". Really? Samsung's style is somewhat similar to China, and Samsung cracked world semiconductor market twice: DRAM and NAND flash. I don't see why China can't replicate that.
- oh-kumudo 9y agoWell, South Korea is an ally to US. At least US is not actively preventing and adding blockers for South Korea to gaining influence in the semi-conductor industry. For China, US is quite hostile and vigilant towards its development, which is not something to be happy about.
- sanxiyn 9y agoAt least at the beginning, Chinese semiconductor industry does not need US market. Domestic market is large enough.