TSMC to make advanced AI semiconductors in Japan

Japan and America have now both gotten TSMC to commit to a decent level of domestic advanced-node fabrication.

Meanwhile Europe only got 40k WSPMs of 12+ nm capacity: https://overclock3d.net/news/software/bringing_advanced_semi...

Taiwanese politicians, like those under American-style democracy in many regions, only care about safeguarding their own interests and have no concern for how to protect the interests of the public. Once TSMC’s factories are completed in Japan and the United States and the technology is secured, Taiwan will no longer have any value worth protecting. Of course, the politicians can always take planes and leave in advance.

the move to decentralize tsmc's footprint to japan is such a massive play for supply chain resilience. from a macro risk standpoint, having advanced node capacity outside of the immediate geopolitical tension zone is basically the ultimate catastrophic insurance policy for the global tech economy. it's interesting to see how the 'just in case' logic is finally starting to override just in time efficiency.

Is this a decision took in light of the new prime minister’s party winning 2/3 lower house majority and her statements about protecting Taiwan against China?

Not surprising from the fact that Taiwanese like Japan

Isn’t Japan even more earthquake prone than Taiwan? Is that a good idea for the most sensitive electronics known to man?

Pretty clear these days that the bottlenecks in technology manufacturing are now weaponising their monopolies/duopolies / triopolies.

They’ve become the trolls under the bridge and will squeeze every passerby for every dollar they’ve got.

The days of cheap computing have been in decline and are now dead, replaced with giga profits for this companies who managed to the the indispensable links in a chain with no or minimal competition.

Isn’t this an erosion of the silicon shield Taiwan is protected by? If they make semiconductors everywhere else then the world has less economic incentive to protect Taiwan from war.

Nature is healing.jpg

China has many faults. Invading other countries is not one of them. They haven’t dropped bombs on foreign soil in over 40 years. The Chinese playbook here is to first copy then out-scale and out-innovate until eventually nobody remembers why Taiwan was so important.