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The push to roll out new semi fabs is only to add redundancy for defense purposes. They absolutely will not be rolling out cutting edge consumer ICs and they'll
by kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
The push to roll out new semi fabs is only to add redundancy for defense purposes. They absolutely will not be rolling out cutting edge consumer ICs and they'll be perpetually running under capacity without ever turning a profit.
- jl6 3y agoWhat if defense wants cutting-edge ICs?
- injeolmi_love 3y agoGenerally speaking, defense prefers older, reliable, and well understood technology rather than the cutting edge stuff. It’s cheaper, easier to mass produce, and less likely to fail under extreme conditions.
- kevin_thibedeau 3y agoThey don't and they haven't since the 80s. The military needs reliability in harsh conditions above all else and modern processes can't deliver that. The military also doesn't care about the economic benefits of die shrinks so that driver is missing.
- jl6 3y agoFront-line needs reliability, but the military has a lot of backend too, and they may well be interested in a secure supply of powerful GPUs running all kinds of AI-type workloads that don’t need to be on the battlefield. Something like continuous satellite surveillance of enemy territory with automated flagging of suspicious activity.