Samsung teases 11 Texas fabs as $50 billion CHIPS Act vote nears

As the US Senate prepares to vote on a $50 billion bill to subsidize stateside chip manufacturing, Samsung has lodged an 11th hour proposal to build 11 semiconductor fabs around Austin, Texas over the next two decades, at an estimated total cost of $200 billion. As reported by the Austin American-Statesman, the South Korean …

[Pascal Monett]

Eleven

Not one, but eleven semiconductor factories in one of the driest places on Earth.

What is wrong with these people ?

The Colorado river is already running dry what with all the almond farms in California.

Can't you choose Wisconsin, or Minnesota ?

There's water there.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What is wrong with these people?

Nothing.... absolutely nothing that a large thick brown envelope (or three) would not cure.

The great lakes region has both water and power but for some reason, Texas is the place to be.

Texas has little water and can't manage its power grid properly which is separate from the one in the rest of the USA.

Madness but Abbott is up for re-election so promises are cheap this year as long as it brings out the voters who vote Red, not Blue.

Remember Uvalde! That's the real Texas, a pure shit hole.

[Lordrobot]

Re: What is wrong with these people?

Texas and Arizona are prime pics because you can get Mexicans to work in the FAB plants because anglos won't survive.

All the talk about FAB plants fails to mention the labour-intensive requirements. Muricans think these plants are all automated. Push a Joe Biden button and out come the finished chips. That's not the way it works. This is the worst kind of labour-intensive factory work that exists. Even TSMC said it would be questionable if a US workforce could work in FAB.

That will bring us to OSHA, EPA, IRS, FTC, Border Patrol and a lot of other gov agencies. Might bring UNIONS... can you imagine the efficiency then.

For my money, the whole scam reads like a bust. It is better that INTEL stick to buybacks.

"Benjamin, I want you to listen. I am going to say just one word to you.... BUYBACKS!"

[Jim Mitchell]

Re: Eleven

Texas is a big state and the part that these facilities would be in is not one of the driest places on Earth. Also, the Colorado River in Texas is not the one that goes through California. I'm not saying these fabs are a good idea, but that you are an idiot.

[DS999]

Re: Eleven

Also, the Colorado River in Texas is not the one that goes through California

Technically it is an aqueduct rather than a natural river, but it is fed by the "real" Colorado River so they are one and the same.

[tooltalk]

Re: Eleven

Sasmung has been around Austin area for almost 2 decades now. They haven't had any water problem; though they did have a month-long poweroutage a few years ago, which cost them about $270M.

[sarusa]

Sure, as long as you don't need power

Modern chips can take months to make. A single power interruption can destroy a whole quarter year of your output. We've seen this repeatedly in Japan and other places in Asia.

Do you really want to build your fabs in a place which is completely YOLO [shurg] about the power grid and since they've given it over to racketeers can't even guarantee basic power and when they do it might be 10x civilized nation price?

As Pascal said above they don't have any water - but Samsung doesn't care about environmental damage. But they should at least care about their chip production being destroyed by Texas's MAGA levels of incompetence.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Sure, as long as you don't need power

Yes, but taxes are low there!!!! Which is all they care for.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Sure, as long as you don't need power

The people are there in Austin

It ensures Republican support, or at least not opposition, to their bid

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Sure, as long as you don't need power

Not all Taxes in Texas are low. Property taxes are huge.

'Taxes' is an anagram of 'Texas'.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Sure, as long as you don't need power

>Property taxes are huge.

Companies don't pay property taxes - only workers.

And the CEO can probably get some deal classifying their 100 acre property as a tax-free farm and their 50,000sq ft, 12 bedroom mansion as a farmhouse.

[Spazturtle]

Re: Sure, as long as you don't need power

Texas has a separate grid critical services and heavy industry and that grid is very stable. The only reason factories shut down during the snow a while back was because they were asked to because the factories having power whilst people were dying looked bad, but they weren't legally required to comply.

[deive]

If this also forces them to come up with ways of reusing more water and generating their own power, then it could be a good thing long term.

[NeilPost]

How can you write the same conflicting statements on the same article?!

“ Of course, Samsung has yet to commit to anything. Intel, on the other hand, has broken ground on more than $40 billion worth of new foundry capacity based largely on the assumption that it will receive government support. ®”

“ The documents [PDF], posted on the Texas comptroller's website late Wednesday, outline plans to expand Samsung's operations well beyond the $17 billion fab already under construction in Taylor, 25 miles north of Austin.”

… so looks like Samsung have already flopped their $17bn dollar phallus on the Texan grill.

[Lordrobot]

OH GOOD THE SUPERCOLLIDER II

Oh if only we could package and sell misplaced euphoria... Texas should start drafting the Articles of Succession they have so longed for...

So this $50 Billion will make the USA, or at least red states TEXAS, OHIO, and Arizona the CHIP FAB of the UNIVERSE. I think the Supercollider used the same Public Relations Team... USA TEXAS would become the Particle PHYSICS CENTRE of the UNIVERSE. Ten-gallon hats for 10 gm brains.

[guud]

Pay Netlist

So Samsung colluded with Google to cheat Netlist by stealing their IP, the court cases are being right now. Pay Netlist you effing thieves!