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TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

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Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#21

Reminds me of the now-infamous "capacitor plague" [1] of 1999-2007 that keeps cropping up in electronics repair. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

I guess you got downvoted because the connection is not obvious. The relevant paragraph of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague#Implications_... is

> [...] A materials scientist working for Rubycon in Japan left the company, taking the secret water-based electrolyte formula for Rubycon's ZA and ZL series capacitors, and began working for a Chinese company. The scientist then developed a copy of this electrolyte. Then, some staff members who defected from the Chinese company copied an incomplete version of the formula and began to market it to many of the aluminium electrolytic manufacturers in Taiwan [...]

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#22
post #13

Industrial espionage has to be totally insane to defend against these days.

I frequently wonder what steps SpaceX security has to take, given the insane geopolitical significance of reusable rockets and cheap access to orbit.

I don't think what SpaceX is doing is that hard to replicate. There's already competitors launching smaller payloads for smaller costs per weight. Just a matter of time until they creep into SpaceX's market, while SpaceX tries to build a starship inspired by the Futurama rocket.

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#23

Industrial espionage has to be totally insane to defend against these days.

Just knowing how the thing is built doesn't seem to be enough. Comac still sources its jet engines from Pratt and Whitney for instance, despite many years of trying no local manufacturer has been able to build them to the same spec.

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#24
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I frequently wonder what steps SpaceX security has to take, given the insane geopolitical significance of reusable rockets and cheap access to orbit.

I don't think what SpaceX is doing is that hard to replicate. There's already competitors launching smaller payloads for smaller costs per weight. Just a matter of time until they creep into SpaceX's market, while SpaceX tries to build a starship inspired by the Futurama rocket.

It is insanely valuable, both commercially and strategically.

If it weren’t that hard to replicate, several countries (and Bezos/Blue Origin) would have replicated it by now.

I think you vastly underestimate how difficult rocketry is. There’s a reason “rocket science” is colloquially a metaphor for an extremely difficult and technical task.

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

We are doing much better off with the status quo than TSMC firing everyone who isn't of the same religion, and even then, it's not hard for a spy to pretend to be .

>even then, it's not hard for a spy to pretend to be .

There are religious groups which you can only be born into. Some people believe that one such religious group wields the most power on our planet.

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#26
post #13

Industrial espionage has to be totally insane to defend against these days.

I frequently wonder what steps SpaceX security has to take, given the insane geopolitical significance of reusable rockets and cheap access to orbit.

Lots of space technology is classified as weapons subject to export control. ITAR has plenty of rules about who can see information. US immigration status generally has to be green card or citizen, and country of origin and any second citizenships are considered.

("export control" in this sense really doesn't have to do with moving a physical object out of the country but sharing information, to the extent that a conversation in an elevator could be an export violation. most export violations amount to emails being sent to the wrong person)

When I worked briefly in defense, for example, there would be regular random searches of my stuff as I exited the building and security would wander the building and look at what you left out on your desk while you went to lunch. Entirely seriously they told us not to wear our badge in public if we left the building and not to leave our laptops in our cars because someone might follow us and steal it. Had colleagues who were visiting a foreign country for work have their hotel rooms obviously thoroughly and messily searched while they were out.

They also do national security missions so there are folks there with high clearances.

Thing is that even if you did steal a bunch of information, that doesn't mean you could just copy and be successful. Any one of a million things can go wrong with a self-landing rocket that will cause it to explode, you can't just steal the whole system of operation that keeps these things from happening.

You couldn't steal all of the secrets of a circus performer and suddenly be able to juggle chainsaws while riding a unicycle.

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#27
post #23

Industrial espionage has to be totally insane to defend against these days.

Just knowing how the thing is built doesn't seem to be enough. Comac still sources its jet engines from Pratt and Whitney for instance, despite many years of trying no local manufacturer has been able to build them to the same spec.

Or for analogy, following a recipe doesn't make you a good cook.

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We are doing much better off with the status quo than TSMC firing everyone who isn't of the same religion, and even then, it's not hard for a spy to pretend to be .

>even then, it's not hard for a spy to pretend to be . There are religious groups which you can only be born into. Some people believe that one such religious group wields the most power on our planet.

The religion installing wires above NY so they can cheat it?

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#29
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I frequently wonder what steps SpaceX security has to take, given the insane geopolitical significance of reusable rockets and cheap access to orbit.

Lots of space technology is classified as weapons subject to export control. ITAR has plenty of rules about who can see information. US immigration status generally has to be green card or citizen, and country of origin and any second citizenships are considered. ("export control" in this sense really doesn't have to do with moving a physical object out of the country but sharing information, to the extent that a con…

[deleted]

Re: TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process

#30

Locally in Taiwan, there’s growing suspicion that the 2nm process technology was leaked to Japan’s Rapidus. People are questioning whether the technology was leaked to Rapidus through Japanese equipment suppliers.

make no sense since Rapidus 2nm process is from IBM.
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