4 ms·

Uh it's not that easy at all? This is a decade worth of work right there. European manufacturers also don't really have big quantity manufacturing. SMIC has bee

Uh it's not that easy at all? This is a decade worth of work right there. European manufacturers also don't really have big quantity manufacturing. SMIC has been moving gradually towards lower nm fabs. It's odd that people here nowadays think, oh you just get better lithography and we're done. This a multistep process to begin with. Do you think Intels only problem is that they can't buy ASML components? Not to mention that all European manufacturing "giants"(in demand and importance not in volume) like ASML have quite limited capacity. During Covid there was a shortage of machines that produce fibres needed to create N95 masks for example.

geodel 4y ago
Out of those multistep process Apple has done very large part of designing Chip, designing OS to use chip optimally. Apple user market is not the one where they compare Mac with Wintel laptop. They find out M2 is crap in every way compare to Intel or AMD chip and then go on to buy a HP Pavilion or some such. Besides with Perf/watt gap Mac/Iphone and rest Apple can wait it out for at least a year or maybe even longer.
- rjzzleep 4y ago
  They bought companies that have designed chips for a DECADE, and then that took another decade of experience. And even if Apple went out and bought an old fab or global foundries it will take a decade to build out the capacity with a worsening economic crisis I'm not sure how realistic that is. But sure, it is possible.
  - geodel 4y ago
    I guess you are just missing the point that Apple can wait out for a year or longer and keep using 5nm TSMC chip with more core, components or whatever. Once the supposedly "premium paying" clients buy the best 3nm chip, Apple can still be fine buying the rest. There is no personal ego hurt, if it still does not workout after 1-2 year of negotiation lawyers can go sign new contract for higher price. It is not like "Guys, TSMC asked for more money, so stop everything and work on setting up chip making factory in Tennessee however long it takes". Also worsening economic crisis will hit TSMC much sooner than Apple.

geodel 4y ago

Out of those multistep process Apple has done very large part of designing Chip, designing OS to use chip optimally. Apple user market is not the one where they compare Mac with Wintel laptop. They find out M2 is crap in every way compare to Intel or AMD chip and then go on to buy a HP Pavilion or some such. Besides with Perf/watt gap Mac/Iphone and rest Apple can wait it out for at least a year or maybe even longer.

rjzzleep 4y ago
They bought companies that have designed chips for a DECADE, and then that took another decade of experience. And even if Apple went out and bought an old fab or global foundries it will take a decade to build out the capacity with a worsening economic crisis I'm not sure how realistic that is. But sure, it is possible.
- geodel 4y ago
  I guess you are just missing the point that Apple can wait out for a year or longer and keep using 5nm TSMC chip with more core, components or whatever. Once the supposedly "premium paying" clients buy the best 3nm chip, Apple can still be fine buying the rest. There is no personal ego hurt, if it still does not workout after 1-2 year of negotiation lawyers can go sign new contract for higher price. It is not like "Guys, TSMC asked for more money, so stop everything and work on setting up chip making factory in Tennessee however long it takes". Also worsening economic crisis will hit TSMC much sooner than Apple.