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Or a third party decides to enter the market and go for position number 2. Apple could probably do it with the cash they roll - but they don't want to do so. A
by ianai 6y ago
Or a third party decides to enter the market and go for position number 2. Apple could probably do it with the cash they roll - but they don't want to do so. A country could. It sure seems like chips are important enough to warrant a national supply - so international pressures can't weigh on you politically through chip supply.
- na85 6y agoI've long held the opinion that chip making will eventually go the route of uranium refining and become national strategic capabilities that all great powers will pursue. I'm continually surprised that this doesn't seem to be taking place outside th defence sector.
- ianai 6y agoHonestly I’d blame governments being staffed by people who make their money in more traditional areas. Aka we need a generational change.
- bluGill 6y agoChip making is still advancing too fast for that. If the current processes are about the limit of physics, then eventually yes. Right now it is better to hope your country just does the next leapfrog of technology.
- ianai 6y agoThe TSMC model seems appropriate: Don't specialize in the design. Focus on the hardware and take designs from customers.
- mywittyname 6y agoThis is the case, actually. It's just this article is talking about chip production at the bleeding edge instead of the pedestrian chips used in the bulk of electronic devices. The boring chips made for use in American military equipment are largely produced domestically.
- baybal2 6y agoUnfortunately not. Maybe the "family jewels" level secret ICs which we don't even know about, but at least ICs for munitions been all Taiwanese for at least 20 years.
- simonh 6y agoI don't think Apple will get into chips for several reasons, but the main one is sunsetting old fabs. Apple wants only the best and shiniest process for their chips, but any fab inevitably gets overtaken by new technology. What to do with the ageing fabs? Apple would have no use for them, so long term it makes no sense. Better to capitalise TSMC with long term contracts and lock in access to capacity on the best nodes.