flydog

AI keeps recycling the same clickbait about 2nm and 3nm nodes being the only chips that matter. It pushes a misleading narrative that anything older is obsolete, and that these factories are just for show and mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

In fact, over 85% of chips used in phones, laptops, and other devices are built on processes older than 3nm—most commonly in the 5nm to 7nm range. Even TSMC, the leader in advanced manufacturing, still derives three-quarters of its revenue from nodes larger than 3nm:

https://investor.tsmc.com/english/encrypt/files/encrypt_file/reports/2025-01/2d8b2bb6fc3b5887d24ae0635f639c1cdca834f3/4Q24ManagementReport.pdf

There’s still massive demand for chips on these so-called “older” nodes, regardless of what the headlines try to sell.  And these factories are in fact contributing to the local economy via tax revenues, jobs, and business opportunities for local companies.