I wonder if companies like Apple will eventually start making memory themselves.
How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
31–40 of 202 posts
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#32The author doesn’t seem to understand that Apple places RAM orders years in advance. I’m not sure if it’s even feasible or possible for Apple to fully integrate their supply chain and open up memory fabs, the cost of entry must be enormous.
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
They bought P.A. Semi, but it was for their design capability; they never had fabs anyway, and Apple still depends on TSMC and others for manufacturing chips. Apple building fabs to ensure a guaranteed supply of memory (or logic) chips would be an unprecedented level of vertical integration, even for them.
SpaceX/xAI is investing in creating their own fab. If they can, Apple certainly can.
We don’t know if SpaceX’s plan will actually work, they announced it this year and it is a long-timeline Musk project. These have… mixed results.
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
And none of these companies are operating their own fabs, that's the problem. Fabs are a cutthroat business that's very hard to get into. It costs billions of continual investment to stay a float. That's why there's really only about 3 different companies with cutting edge fabs. TSMC, Micron, and Samsung. Even intel, who built a huge portion of their business on cutting edge fab tech, has struggled to keep funding it…
I've made this same argument so let me make a counter-argument: There are some ways to get this off the ground much quicker. One or more companies could buy an existing non-leading-edge fab like GlobalFoundaries. That buys a lot of expertise so you're not starting from zero. DRAM also benefits from being very regular and relatively simple. It used to be what you bring up on a new process node to help prove things out…
It does help, but I have to wonder how many people are still working at glofo currently who are researching node shrinks. They stopped their research into the 7nm process in 2018 and all the indications are that they aren't really continuing it.
Meanwhile, I believe SOTA is at least 3 or 4 node shrinks beyond that 7nm process. It'll take years for them to catch up to where micron is currently.
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
They bought P.A. Semi, but it was for their design capability; they never had fabs anyway, and Apple still depends on TSMC and others for manufacturing chips. Apple building fabs to ensure a guaranteed supply of memory (or logic) chips would be an unprecedented level of vertical integration, even for them.
SpaceX/xAI is investing in creating their own fab. If they can, Apple certainly can.
yeah. right after tesla self-driving.
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#36The author doesn’t seem to understand that Apple places RAM orders years in advance. I’m not sure if it’s even feasible or possible for Apple to fully integrate their supply chain and open up memory fabs, the cost of entry must be enormous.
And by "places orders" we mean "helps TSMC acquire plots of land on which their next facilities will be constructed" kind of level of scope, timing, and commitment.
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#37[flagged]
buy an Intel!
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#38The author doesn’t seem to understand that Apple places RAM orders years in advance. I’m not sure if it’s even feasible or possible for Apple to fully integrate their supply chain and open up memory fabs, the cost of entry must be enormous.
And by "places orders" we mean "helps TSMC acquire plots of land on which their next facilities will be constructed" kind of level of scope, timing, and commitment.
TSMC doesn't make RAM do they?
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#39I wonder if companies like Apple will eventually start making memory themselves.
This is probably the natural conclusion but it will take some time to get there
Re: How can Apple deal with the memory shortage?
#40Got a shitty PC with 32gb ddr5 now the ram alone is almost worth as much as the purchase price of it all. It is playing up.. normally I'd return it to Amazon but...