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TSMC weighs response to U.S. call for supply chain disclosures

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Re: TSMC weighs response to U.S. call for supply chain disclosures

#11

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

guilhas wrote: post #3

Anyone has a good article explaining why no one is able to compete with this company?

Any kind of research and development project is a calculated risk that the effort will yield a worthwhile result. All of the top contenders poured a lot of money and high-caliber talent in their next generation fab R&D and TSMC's approach paid off the best and Intel's (some say more aggressive but riskier) approach turned out to be a dead end causing them to have to scramble to recover. But it was always a gamble that could have turned out badly for any of them.

Re: TSMC weighs response to U.S. call for supply chain disclosures

#12

Post by bsder »

guilhas wrote: post #3

Anyone has a good article explaining why no one is able to compete with this company?

1) Because it's a really expensive treadmill.

It took a stupid amount of money to get on the treadmill (TSMC--$200 million in 1987), takes a stupidly larger amount of money to go to the next layer of the treadmill ($100 billion+ over the next 3 years), and, if you fall off, you aren't getting back on the treadmill.

2) The lead times on the equipment are measured in years

As the podcast points out, TSMC has bought AMSL's production of machines for the next 5 years. Those are lithography machines that nobody can buy for any amount of money for the next 5 years.

To compete, you need to set up not just the fab but the infrastructure supplying the fab.

So, in the short term, nobody is dethroning TSMC.

Re: TSMC weighs response to U.S. call for supply chain disclosures

#13

Post by omegalulw »

supertrope wrote: post #10
MangoCoffee wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

on the high end, we have Intel, Samsung and TSMC. TSMC is the only foundry that is pure play. TSMC have no side business or any business that compete with its customers. Apple/Samsung is the example of that dynamic. Apple leave Samsung after Samsung come out with their own smart phone that compete with Apple. their relationship have taken a nose dive after that. TSMC win on trust. They don't compete with their custom…

Samsung is a major supplier for Apple. SoC fabrication, screens, RAM, NAND. Samsung is a conglomerate of many companies. They’ll happily sell you components while competing in the smartphone market with you.

But not the core performance critical stuff which gives iphones their edge.

Re: TSMC weighs response to U.S. call for supply chain disclosures

#14

Post by omegalulw »

bsder wrote: post #12
guilhas wrote: post #3

Anyone has a good article explaining why no one is able to compete with this company?

1) Because it's a really expensive treadmill. It took a stupid amount of money to get on the treadmill (TSMC--$200 million in 1987), takes a stupidly larger amount of money to go to the next layer of the treadmill ($100 billion+ over the next 3 years), and, if you fall off, you aren't getting back on the treadmill. 2) The lead times on the equipment are measured in years As the podcast points out, TSMC has bought AMS…

> TSMC has bought AMSL's production of machines for the next 5 years.

This seems like a moot point. Courts cab probably turn this down if a new fab can demonstrate this hurts competition.

Re: TSMC weighs response to U.S. call for supply chain disclosures

#15

Post by grozzle »

MangoCoffee wrote: post #8
guilhas wrote: post #3

Anyone has a good article explaining why no one is able to compete with this company?

on the high end, we have Intel, Samsung and TSMC. TSMC is the only foundry that is pure play. TSMC have no side business or any business that compete with its customers. Apple/Samsung is the example of that dynamic. Apple leave Samsung after Samsung come out with their own smart phone that compete with Apple. their relationship have taken a nose dive after that. TSMC win on trust. They don't compete with their custom…

this plus the username, i'm thinking here's a taichung fella
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