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The barrier to entry is very high to building leading edge fabs so you need to give it to an existing entity
by osnium123 2y ago
The barrier to entry is very high to building leading edge fabs so you need to give it to an existing entity
- JohnFen 2y agoSure, but (just brainstorming here, not espousing any strong opinions) there are more fab companies in the US than people think. They're just making lower-density chips rather than the high-end stuff. You wouldn't have to start from nothing, you could build on something that already exists. My primary point and strong opinion here is that I don't think the issue is as binary as a decision to prop up intel vs a decision to give up on domestic production. There is a whole world of other possible options. Particularly since, no matter what, there is no solution to this problem in the short term. Whatever is done, it will take a long time to produce real fruit.
- osnium123 2y agoHow would you feel about forcing Intel sell the fabs off to a healthier third party like TI or Micron or GlobalFoundries?
- buildbot 2y agoArguably half intel's problem is that their fabs are not performing like they used to. The first 10nm chips were disasters, the endless 14nm revisions as a stopgap, and now the various issues with intel 7…
- osnium123 2y agoAgreed. That’s the heart of the questions. If Intel’s fabs are not performing as they did in the past, why should the taxpayer subsidize that organization through the CHIPS Act? It seems like rewarding technical incompetence and if the fabs don’t deliver, it’s not good for national security either.
- JohnFen 2y agoI'm not a big fan of forcing private entities to relinquish their property. There has to be a really solid reason for it (such as that the owner is going to use it in a way that is harmful to others). But buying it? That would be OK.