Live data from Hacker News

Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

electronicsweekly.com

21–30 of 593 posts

Re: Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

#21
post #12
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a very bad policy. We should instead invest in local companies, not a American monopoly like Intel.

We are - indirectly. Intel uses EUV machines provided by ASML.

The ASML machines Intel uses use EUV tech wich ASML acquired through their acquisition of Cymer, California and use licensed tech from Sandia Labs, also a US lab, meaning the US has full veto rights over to whom ASML gets to sell their EUV machines (spoiler alert, not to China).

Re: Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

#22
post #5

Honestly, this is good policy. We can't have our complete global supply chain held over our heads when China goes and does something crazy inevitably.

This is a very bad policy. We should instead invest in local companies, not a American monopoly like Intel.

> This is a very bad policy. We should instead invest in local companies, not a American monopoly like Intel.

The origin of the company is irrelevant if they respect basic norms.

How exactly is "intel" a monopoly when Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is also American?

Re: Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

#23
post #7

Honestly, this is good policy. We can't have our complete global supply chain held over our heads when China goes and does something crazy inevitably.

Pssst! Don't tell anyone I told you: they are already doing crazy stuff, but we shouldn't complain too loudly, or else...

There's a difference between internal and external genocide. Not morally, but realistically.

As we've seen with Iraq and many other times, trying to stop internal genocide is not really doable.

Re: Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

#25

Once again EU taxpayer money bankrolling US tech dominance. When will we ever learn to build up our domestic tech industry? And before the chip hipsters crawl all over my back to prove we ackshually have a powerful domestic semi industry, please name me another EU company, other than ASML (a company 90% of people here never heard of before the chip shortage), that has the same margins, dominance and ability to shape…

Right...

"TSMC, Samsung want slice of America's $52b chip subsidies" -- https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/28/tsmc_samsung_chip_sub...

"Intel and Micron pushing hard for subsidies from the US government" -- https://www.pcgamer.com/intel-and-micron-pushing-hard-for-su...

"Subsidy Tracker: Intel" -- https://subsidytracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/intel

"Intel boss presses Congress for manufacturing subsidies" -- https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/24/intel_chips_subsidy/

Re: Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

#26
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Germany doesn’t pursue political objectivity anyway.

I don't want my tax money filling the coffers of an American monopoly.

The alternative is that they take $5.5B from France and you lose the jobs.

Strategically, you want the semi jobs to seed local expertise.

Re: Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

#29
post #9
post #2

Investing in local chip fabs is long overdue. These are incredibly important for geopolitical stability and should be distributed world-wide. We've centralized too many fabs in too few places in the search for low cost.

Why is the local fab specifically important? They're still going to fly the wafers to Malaysia or wherever for packaging, right? And the tools and chemicals will all be made elsewhere, won't they? It's not as simple as having a steady supply of apples from your local orchard.

I'd imagine it won't replace the entire supply chain in one go (although I think quite a bit of semiconductor tooling is already manufactured in the EU), but I think it's a step on the path towards that. Which is probably a good thing considering how fragile it appears some of our hyper-efficient globalised supply chains can be

Re: Germany paying $5.5B for Intel fab

#30
post #2

Investing in local chip fabs is long overdue. These are incredibly important for geopolitical stability and should be distributed world-wide. We've centralized too many fabs in too few places in the search for low cost.

ASML is in the Netherlands though. Edit: Yes ASML is obviously not a chip fab but they supply the machines that actually fabricate the chips.

Correct, but ASML is not a chip fab
Post reply on HN