Taiwan to dominate chipmaking market for foreseeable future

Taiwan dominates the world's semiconductor manufacturing industry – controlling 48 per cent of the foundry market and 61 per cent of the world's capacity to build at 16nm or better - according to market intelligence firm TrendForce. In 2021, Taiwan won 26 per cent of the world's semiconductor revenue, and accounted for 64 per …

[VoiceOfTruth]

Pork barrel politics

We believe in free markets and free trade. Aaaah, here's some subsidies cos we can't compete. Y'all have a good day now.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Pork barrel politics

It's called security of supply, especially important considering the lunatic you take the shilling from.

[VoiceOfTruth]

Re: Pork barrel politics

Isn't it strange, when it's the USA it's always something else.

Bans Huawei not due to competition, but being a 'national security threat'.

Shovels money to subsidise chip makers in the USA = not due to competition but due to security of supply.

Yeah. Here's a four leaf clover.

[llaryllama]

Re: Pork barrel politics

"Voice of Truth", is that kind of like "People's Democratic Republic" or "Customer Service"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Contingencies & planning

I've seen a lot in various places about the possibility (or likelihood) of China invading Taiwan, but I haven't seen much about the current state of planning to deal with the resulting changes in chip availability. Anybody know of anything published?

There seem to be two main possibilities

(1) China takes over and we have to deal with whatever policies they decide about ongoing chip availability

(2) Taiwan blows up their factories when invaded to deprive the Chinese of them

Either is going to result in a major disruption to chip availability, so what planning has been done? (and I don't mean vague ideas about future building of chip plants elsewhere)

[druck]

Re: Contingencies & planning

Hence all the subsidies being offered to build new facilities in Europe and the US.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Contingencies & planning

Taiwan makes the fancy 5nm stuff for your new iPhone

China makes the stuff that runs the engine in your car - and your tanks and your power grid. The new fabs being built in the USA and Europe will be chips for the next gen of iPhones / servers

So that's all OK then.

[DS999]

Re: Contingencies & planning

The new TSMC fab is 5nm - and will be completed in 2024 when TSMC will be on 3nm and ready to move to 2nm. So no, iPhone/Mac SoCs will never be made at TSMC's US plant, because it won't be state of the art.

There are also fabs being built in the US that make the kind of older stuff that is used in cars, tanks and power grids. They just don't get the publicity because those fabs cost a fraction as much as a leading edge (or near leading edge) fab.

[W.S.Gosset]

"for foreseeable future"

...

See "China" in the post above.

There's a lot of very strange signals coming out of China, starting shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine. Further muddled by surge in internal economic carnage. I really can't work out any clarity on short-term intentions.

[W.S.Gosset]

Taiwanese chip shops

I must have spent too long in the UK. I knew what you _meant_ in context. But I couldn't shake the word-association of late night boozed-up salt & vinegar.

[Cuddles]

Conclusion doesn't really follow

"Billions of subsidies in Europe and US will hardly make a dent"

According to the figures in the article, Taiwan currently has something over 63% of the market. In three years, they will have 44% of the market. That sounds like quite a significant dent to me, especially on such a short timescale.