crowley

danox said:

JP234 said:

tht said:

JP234 said:

Do we have an alternate source for these chips? Looks like our congressmen have decided to provoke China over Taiwan. Does Apple (or any US manufacturer) really want to rely solely on China to supply critical semis? And trust them not to engineer some "special sauce" into them?

Don’t know where to start with your train of questions. 

Your questions seem to understand that Taiwan is not China, yet you still conflate TSMC as being Chinese. TSMC is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. It’s Taiwanese with most of its fabs in Taiwan. TSMC has satellite fabs in both China and the USA. You should not conflate the two. 

Semiconductor manufacturing is a global enterprise. One of the key components is actually a Dutch company who makes the photolithography machines that go into the fabs. Japanese, Korean and Chinese companies, also multinationals, make the modules that the chips are put in. Then, the materials and sub-components come from all over the world too. 

These are global multi-national companies. They are diversified and continually diversifying. They don’t do it as fast as the speed of politics perhaps, but they will do what they need to do to stay in business. 

TSMC’s fabs are the most advanced fabs in the world. There isn’t a competitor. The nearest “competitor” is Samsung, and if Apple used their fabs, they would have slower and hotter chips. Apple has had a decadal and symbiotic relationship with them. It’s basically because of Apple that TSMC, and their own discipline and decision making, has the most advanced fabs. If Apple is to have TSMC diversify, it will be to get them to have more fabs elsewhere in the world, not primarily in Taiwan.

Lastly, there isn’t any special sauce. It’s plain old boring physics and economics. They take silicon and etch CMOS circuits onto them. Every stage from the silicon itself to the software that runs on them is validated at every stage. You don’t do anything by surprise as it could result in business destroying consequences. Apple, and every TSMC customer, knows precisely what happens to their chips. 

I'm in agreement that Taiwan is not China. Yet. And I agree that TMSC there isn't a competitor at their level. Which would remain the same after a Chinese takeover. I also agree with your last statement that there is independent oversight of TMSC chips. For now. Where we disagree is what happens after China does the same thing they've done in Tibet, Macau and Hong Kong. China invading and taking over Taiwan is not a matter of "if." It's a matter of "when." Take it to the bank.

China and Taiwan will agree to merge sometime in the next 50 years and shot will not be fired, and at that time the USA will standing on the sidelines watching scratching it’s head like a monkey, that merger however won’t postpone the inevitable near term, China will be the number one economic power in the world by 2030.

JP234 said:

mikethemartian said:

verne arase said:

mikethemartian said:

Are you implying that the required skill level of a CEO of a company is commensurate with that of a surgeon?

Really?

Are you implying that the skill level of say Tim Cook who has guided Apple to be the most valuable company in the world does not have a skill level at least commiserate with that of an experienced cardiac surgeon?

The fact that he works in money, supply chains, products, and policy rather than tissue and scalpels does not make him less skilled - it simply means he works in a different medium.

I’m not implying. I’m saying straight out.

When you're dead inside, you don't need a surgeon. You need something else to keep you alive.