Live data from Hacker News

TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

reuters.com

421–430 of 511 posts

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#421
post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've actually always wondered why automakers never try to make consumer electronics. They wouldn't even need to compete with Apple or Dell; would you consider an Audi or Toyota laptop in place of a Panasonic Toughbook? Caterpillar does it with phones[1], and their main business is heavy industry. Why not auto manufacturers? Could easier access to smaller process nodes incentivize them to branch out into new markets l…

I've always wondered why most household appliances recycling factories don't sell the parts, but hey, I'm just a lowly employee, not a CEO getting paid five+ figures a year. When I looked into it, the most cited reasons were "that's not our business" (really? then what is?) and "it costs more than it's worth" (it doesn't, plus you get government subsidies for green initiatives). No mention of contracts forbidding tha…

I once did some work for a junkyard, and their business is a lot more complicated than what I would imagine a recycler has to do. They have to identify, catalog, evaluate the quality of parts. They have to identify cross-reference fitment information. With thousands of different vehicles with thousands of parts each, they’re looking at millions of SKUs. Then they have to inventory, warehouse, market, and manage the sales process for all of those. Even the highly automated tech-savvy junk yard I did work for threw out most of the parts that weren’t high value or high demand, simply because all of the above processes wouldn’t be worth it for a thousands of different $2 parts that don’t have names and are low demand.

Appliances aren’t quite as complicated, but I could still see how it would be a big change from the perspective of how they do business.

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#422

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not hopeless for the EU—many of the necessary machines for any reasonably recent chip fab come from European companies, e.g. ASML.

buying a chisel doesn't make you a master sculptor

Perhaps not, but if I had burning ambitions to become one it wouldn’t hurt to be friends with Leonardo DaVinci’s supplier

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#423
post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've actually always wondered why automakers never try to make consumer electronics. They wouldn't even need to compete with Apple or Dell; would you consider an Audi or Toyota laptop in place of a Panasonic Toughbook? Caterpillar does it with phones[1], and their main business is heavy industry. Why not auto manufacturers? Could easier access to smaller process nodes incentivize them to branch out into new markets l…

I've always wondered why most household appliances recycling factories don't sell the parts, but hey, I'm just a lowly employee, not a CEO getting paid five+ figures a year. When I looked into it, the most cited reasons were "that's not our business" (really? then what is?) and "it costs more than it's worth" (it doesn't, plus you get government subsidies for green initiatives). No mention of contracts forbidding tha…

There's no real distribution system for used appliance spare parts. They just aren't valuable enough to be worth it.

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#424
post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always wondered why most household appliances recycling factories don't sell the parts, but hey, I'm just a lowly employee, not a CEO getting paid five+ figures a year. When I looked into it, the most cited reasons were "that's not our business" (really? then what is?) and "it costs more than it's worth" (it doesn't, plus you get government subsidies for green initiatives). No mention of contracts forbidding tha…

I once did some work for a junkyard, and their business is a lot more complicated than what I would imagine a recycler has to do. They have to identify, catalog, evaluate the quality of parts. They have to identify cross-reference fitment information. With thousands of different vehicles with thousands of parts each, they’re looking at millions of SKUs. Then they have to inventory, warehouse, market, and manage the s…

The auto junkyards of my childhood left the identification and evaluation of the parts to the customer: the parts were left on the car; the customer located, then removed the part he or she needed, then brought it to the office.

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The idea that California could become an economic wasteland is absolutely preposterous. It does have its problems: costs are high and there's extreme inequality (because of the nation's worst land taxation and land use policies combined, read your Henry George folks). But these problems are because of its extreme prosperity and economic potential, not because there is any risk of that economic powerhouse stopping. Th…

> The idea that California could become an economic wasteland is absolutely preposterous. At one time people would have said the same about the Rust Belt. Times change.

Yes, I agree with this. I should have added the qualifier "soon" to my prediction of California's future.

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#426
post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I kinda see it the exact opposite way, I don’t think China would ever dare risk a full out war which would essentially be them vs the world. Taiwan is extremely valuable but not valuable enough to risk complete devastation of their economy if not by war then by international trade. The US is routinely running freedom of navigation exercises in the south china sea between taiwan and china and has said as recently as l…

Russia did it in Crimea by barely firing a shot. Everyone took note. Taiwan may be 'grabbed' with little violence, and China can promise 'certain freedoms' (i.e fake democracy) so that feckless leaders around the world can 'save face' and say 'oh, we don't like it, but it's not that bad, please keep buying our crap, so we can buy your crap'. China takes the 'long view' - long enough that it supercedes any populist cy…

Crimea didn’t have decades of preparation making strategic allies to defend it, nor was it of similar strategic importance to allies. That is also not to mention the fact that, Russia is not exactly doing great in the wake of the annexation.

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#429
post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US defence of Taiwan is unfortunately just posturing. Should China commit to taking Taiwan they will do it. US military simulations have confirmed this again and again. Chinese military capability is strong enough to overwhelm the US Taiwan forces.

No it is not, which is the reason it will end up in nukes. There are a ton of well researched papers on this. Taiwan is well dug in and any invasion perpetration would be seen months in advance. To be clear, if the USA defense of Taiwan leads to the extinction of the human race, so be it. We should have destroyed nazi germany in 1939. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum. We are not worthy to survive if we do not defend democrac…

Don't listen to the downvoters dude. If we are going to have WW3, it should be to prevent dystopian hegemonic communist china. It'll suck dying in nuclear holocaust but it'll feel good in those last moments knowing that we prevented something worse. Sometimes life isn't worth living anymore, and hegemonic eternal china is an example of value to life going below zero...

Re: TSMC looks to double down on U.S. chip factories as talks in Europe falter

#430
post #406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What motivation will Americans have to fight and die for Taiwan? Well if the Yanks are smart, the second it becomes a US state you strongly encourage two way migration so there are a bunch of square-jawed, grass-fed, All American kids living there that the US press can get exited about. Jack, Diane, and Tyrone getting shot at by the PLA is going to be a Big Fucking Deal. Heck, if I was Taiwan I’d stop spending mone…

>the second it becomes a US state Putting the cart before the horse, that US could occupy this land before China defends it. Also, this is such a nerd bro theory, as if only you are clever enough to see the game being played...the US government could somehow completely fool their citizens into being bait for a war, moving to a disputed territory that inevitably will be a battleground, or again that anyone on the main…

> such a nerd bro theory, as if only you are clever enough

This doesn’t sound like a conversation worth getting involved in

Post reply on HN