TSMC omits customer data in answers to US chip shortage inquiry

AppleInsider

Apple iPhone supplier TSMC is among several chipmakers who have provided answers to a US inquiry seeking data to address the ongoing global chip shortage.

Credit: TSMC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has submitted its answers to the US inquiry, although like other chipmakers, it has removed sensitive customer data from the details. According to Bloomberg, TSMC has joined other firms answering with edited responses, including Micron Technology, Western Digital Corp, and United Microelectronics.

The US requested data on inventories, backlogs, delivery time, procurement practices, and measures companies were taking to increase production output. It also specifically included a request for a list of each company's top customers.

However, TSMC and others said they remained committed to protecting customer confidentiality.

Some South Korea-based technology companies are preparing for a voluntary submission of relevant data. Those tech firms have reportedly been negotiating with the US on the scope of the data that will be provided.

Back in September, the US Commerce Department asked companies in the semiconductor industry to fill out a questionnaire focused on the ongoing supply chain problems. The questionnaire is voluntary, though US government officials have warned that the White House could threaten to use the Defense Production Act or other measures to get those answers.

The request for information has stirred controversy in Taiwan and South Korea, where some industry officials are concerned that the US could be demanding companies hand over trade secrets. China is also concerned that the US could use the materials provided by South Korean and Taiwanese firms to sanction Chinese companies.

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22july2013

I'm surprised Biden would do anything to anger China. Maybe they don't own Biden.

josephraymondg

The US Commerce Department is more likely to use the information against US companies than foreign companies since the influence over foreign companies is far less great.  The tendency will be to impose a US industrial policy that the US Commerce Department considers better for reason X.  Best if TSMC and others keep every company’s name out of their replies.

mcdave

22july2013 said:

I'm surprised Biden would do anything to anger China. Maybe they don't own Biden.

Is the suspicion that there is no chip shortage & that China is imposing sanctions upon the US? Not nice when they shoe’s on the other foot eh?

Of course, it could just be that China is being a responsible global citizen and not encouraging western atrocity. They’ve already had to spend large on fixing the mess in the Middle East. It’s really good to see a better emerging role model.

waveparticle

22july2013 said:

I'm surprised Biden would do anything to anger China. Maybe they don't own Biden.

Biden's policy is competition instead of collaboration. This is not good to high tech industry. 

22july2013

mcdave said:

22july2013 said:

I'm surprised Biden would do anything to anger China. Maybe they don't own Biden.

Is the suspicion that there is no chip shortage & that China is imposing sanctions upon the US? Not nice when they shoe’s on the other foot eh?

Of course, it could just be that China is being a responsible global citizen and not encouraging western atrocity. They’ve already had to spend large on fixing the mess in the Middle East. It’s really good to see a better emerging role model.

The answer to your question is that I have no idea what you are saying, other than you love dictatorships and hate freedom.

viclauyyc

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

waveparticle

Apple has provided its supplier list for many years. What about Microsoft, Google, Dell?
https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple-Supplier-List.pdf

sbdude

22july2013 said:

I'm surprised Biden would do anything to anger China. Maybe they don't own Biden.

That's assuming this is an exercise of anything other than futility, or to save face.

larryjw

Would such information be useful? 

I certainly would want to know. At this point all we hear is speculation from people who don't have any more information than the general public does. 

How much of the shortage is due to the pandemic and why? Where along the supply chain has the kinks arisen? Is JIT part of the problem? Has the demand simply outpaced the supply. Was this going to happen anyway but simply accelerated due to Covid? Is the industry's problem the lack of skilled staff? Where should resources be placed to fix the problems?

We saw similar problems of shortages in responding to the pandemic: PPE equipment, syringes, vials, masks, data feeds, tests, IV bags, ventilators, etc. 

You can't solve problems with wishful thinking and making stuff up. 

22july2013

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

waveparticle

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

22july2013

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

Correct, I understated it. Nvidia and AMD make 100% of their GPUs in China.

spencer314

22july2013 said:

I'm surprised Biden would do anything to anger China. Maybe they don't own Biden.

Are you arguing that Biden shouldn't anger Taiwan because China considers it a Chinese province? China is certainly a large consumer of chips, but it is not a major producer of chips on the global market, and also isn't much of a supplier to the actual chip makers. 

As for China, Biden seems to be keeping with Trump's anti-chines tilt. Given that Biden isn't simultaneously trying to piss off the rest of the world at the same time as he is trying to anger China, he will probably end up more effective than Trump ever was. Whether all of that is a good thing is a separate issue. 

waveparticle

22july2013 said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

Correct, I understated it. Nvidia and AMD make 100% of their GPUs in China.

Not quite true. Historically Taiwan is a part of China. But politically it is not. 

crowley

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

Correct, I understated it. Nvidia and AMD make 100% of their GPUs in China.

Not quite true. Historically Taiwan is a part of China. But politically it is not. 

Historically doesn't count for shit.

waveparticle

crowley said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

Correct, I understated it. Nvidia and AMD make 100% of their GPUs in China.

Not quite true. Historically Taiwan is a part of China. But politically it is not. 

Historically doesn't count for shit.

Of course, history is against US national interest. 

georgebmac

crowley said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

Correct, I understated it. Nvidia and AMD make 100% of their GPUs in China.

Not quite true. Historically Taiwan is a part of China. But politically it is not. 

Historically doesn't count for shit.

It counted during the U.S. Civil War.

georgebmac

So, whose side is TSMC on?

Our hubris tells us that they're on our side.  But hubris is often based on denial and selective blindness.

crowley

GeorgeBMac said:

crowley said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

Correct, I understated it. Nvidia and AMD make 100% of their GPUs in China.

Not quite true. Historically Taiwan is a part of China. But politically it is not. 

Historically doesn't count for shit.

It counted during the U.S. Civil War.

Huh?  I don’t get the reference?  What did history have to do with the US Civil War?

crowley

waveparticle said:

crowley said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

waveparticle said:

22july2013 said:

viclauyyc said:

I wonder what will US say when China request the same data. China has more reason to request the data than US. Huge number of manufacturers are located in China and the chip shortage affected China way more than US.  

That's actually a fair point, but as you indicated, most chip manufacturing, even for US companies (Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) actually occurs in China. Even Intel makes some chips in China, not to mentions its fabs in Israel and Ireland.

This is not true.

Correct, I understated it. Nvidia and AMD make 100% of their GPUs in China.

Not quite true. Historically Taiwan is a part of China. But politically it is not. 

Historically doesn't count for shit.

Of course, history is against US national interest. 

Not my concern whether it is or isn’t. But it still doesn’t count. Taiwan has historically not been part of China for longer periods than it was.  That also doesn’t count, but it informs why the reciprocal doesn’t count. 

Hands off.