Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B • Hacker News Board

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#91

Post by HappyTypist » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:21 PM UTC

Anarch157a wrote: post #60

threeseed wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also don't forget crypto which is still growing and demands custom hardware. And the continued move within the enterprise towards using cloud computing and SaaS products. No matter which way you look there is an increasing demand for silicon.

With Ethereum adopting proof of stake, Bitcoin will be left as the only driver for mining hardware. Even they will have to move to proof of stake some day, since it's not sustainable. I believe that the bigest drivers for silicon demand will be IoT devices, including automobiles, especialy when they become more affordable in the 3rd world. The pressure from SaaS and cloud is more predictable than the consume market,…

There is about zero chance of bitcoin moving to proof of stake. Something so fundamental about its SHA256(SHA256())) PoW structure just isn't going to get changed, unless there's a vulnerability in SHA256.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#92

Post by FooBarWidget » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:25 PM UTC

tw04 wrote: post #80

throwaway4good wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is a very American perspective on things. Hundreds of thousands of US troops are stationed in Germany, Japan, Korea here 75 years after the end of the second world war. Do you think we would like them to stay for another decade? Our politicians may not be in a position to say so, but we would really like our land to be free of foreign troops. As would any other nation.

And you think if the US were completely isolationist that China wouldn't assist North Korea in "unifying" the peninsula? I wouldn't want to bet my freedom on that.

And just why would they do that? The only reason China supported North Korea historically is because they don't want US troops at their doorstep.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#93

Post by rjsw » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:31 PM UTC

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #74

csomar wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think so. > German Chancellor opposes US troop withdrawal plan https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-chancellor-opposes-us... Without having a powerful army, Europe is just an order from being invaded by Russia.

You can't seriously believe Europe is defenseless without America. Germany, the UK and France are among the most powerful militaries in the world, with economies that trump Russia, and enough nuclear weapons to flatten it a hundred times over.

Germany doesn't have a powerful military or its own nuclear weapons.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#94

Post by konschubert » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:32 PM UTC

throwaway4good wrote: post #34

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #21

This is not just some pork-barrel politics of bribing a company to stay in a given country. S Korea will view this similarly to Taiwan - their chip fabs are existential to their country and state. The USA is becoming more isolationist - it is nearly oil-independent, so it's signalling pulling out of the middle east (deals with Iran etc). But it is not silicon-independent. So S Korea and Taiwan are totally dependent o…

That is a very American perspective on things. Hundreds of thousands of US troops are stationed in Germany, Japan, Korea here 75 years after the end of the second world war. Do you think we would like them to stay for another decade? Our politicians may not be in a position to say so, but we would really like our land to be free of foreign troops. As would any other nation.

Most Germans who understand geopolitics are very happy that American troops are stationed in the country.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#95

Post by konschubert » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:34 PM UTC

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #74

csomar wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think so. > German Chancellor opposes US troop withdrawal plan https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-chancellor-opposes-us... Without having a powerful army, Europe is just an order from being invaded by Russia.

You can't seriously believe Europe is defenseless without America. Germany, the UK and France are among the most powerful militaries in the world, with economies that trump Russia, and enough nuclear weapons to flatten it a hundred times over.

The German military has issues ordering guns that shoot straight, I doubt they can project any kind of deterrence against, say, nuclear threats.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#96

Post by mempko » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:35 PM UTC

creato wrote: post #6

DoctorNick wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, because it's not like this exact thing has happened repeatedly since the emergence of capitalism.

The same thing happens in nature too ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotka%E2%80%93Volterra_equatio... ). Capitalism isn't the cause of everything you don't like.

Let's replace that phrase with past economic systems. 'The same thing happens in nature too. Feudalism isn't the cause of everything you don't like'. or how about 'The same thing happens in nature too. Slavery isn't the cause of everything you don't like'. Yet we clearly made progress getting rid of feudalism and slavery.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#97

Post by rblatz » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:37 PM UTC

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #74

csomar wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think so. > German Chancellor opposes US troop withdrawal plan https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-chancellor-opposes-us... Without having a powerful army, Europe is just an order from being invaded by Russia.

You can't seriously believe Europe is defenseless without America. Germany, the UK and France are among the most powerful militaries in the world, with economies that trump Russia, and enough nuclear weapons to flatten it a hundred times over.

And add up all their militaries and they are still dwarfed by the US military.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#98

Post by rjsw » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:40 PM UTC

jari_mustonen wrote: post #16

God damn that is one huge cookie consent pop up. I browse with cell phone and was unable to find what to click to make it dissapear. So I’m now here reading comments to figure out what the artcile said.

Have had that kind of thing recently on desktop too, opening in a private window with Firefox helped.

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#99

Post by ithkuil » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:42 PM UTC

ithkuil wrote: post #24

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #21

This is not just some pork-barrel politics of bribing a company to stay in a given country. S Korea will view this similarly to Taiwan - their chip fabs are existential to their country and state. The USA is becoming more isolationist - it is nearly oil-independent, so it's signalling pulling out of the middle east (deals with Iran etc). But it is not silicon-independent. So S Korea and Taiwan are totally dependent o…

Did anybody do the math of whether it's more cost effective to pay for all that military to ensure you get cheap silicon made in countries with cheaper labor that in the US rather than just subsidizing the production of semiconductors domestically?

Honestly curious about why so many downvotes. It's a honest question. Perhaps you all know the answer and think it's a stupid question not worth answering it. If so please ignore it (other people have answered).

Re: Samsung boosts non-memory chip investment to $151B

#100

Post by AnthonyMouse » Sun, May 16, 2021, 3:47 PM UTC

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #21

This is not just some pork-barrel politics of bribing a company to stay in a given country. S Korea will view this similarly to Taiwan - their chip fabs are existential to their country and state. The USA is becoming more isolationist - it is nearly oil-independent, so it's signalling pulling out of the middle east (deals with Iran etc). But it is not silicon-independent. So S Korea and Taiwan are totally dependent o…

> it is nearly oil-independent

This has never been how it works.

Oil is a global commodity. Even if the US produced as much as it consumes, if something happened in the middle east, the global price would go up. Because when the price went up in Europe or Asia, American oil producers would sell to the highest bidder, which would force American consumers to bid higher.

The real path to "independence" is to stop consuming oil, i.e. the electrification of transportation and heating. Which is starting but nowhere near finished.

Because electricity generated from solar/wind/nuclear/hydro is not a global commodity. Nothing that happens in Iran is going to change the cost of power generated at Hoover Dam.