Live data from Hacker News

Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

datacenterdynamics.com

61–70 of 453 posts

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#61
I worked at Samsung Austin Semiconductor for ten years as a software engineer. AMA.

I very much love the people I worked with at SAS. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I'm very happy to see them expand like this.

Wayne at Louie Mueller's BBQ had better add a few more pits, they're about to get a lot busier!

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#62

Ok, this article quietly gets fucking wild halfway through. >> Samsung spent years evaluating where to build the new fab, courting multiple locations and pitting them against each other for better incentives. But the ultimate decision came down to Samsung Group's leader Jay Y. Lee, who was granted early parole in August expressly to speed up crucial business decisions like the Texas chip fab. Accounting for between 1…

> with executives pardoned for crimes in the name of ensuring national economic growth. Is that really so different from how things work here?

Nope, it works like that here too. See Elon Musk and the SEC kid gloves treatment for an example of a similar situation in the US.

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#63
post #2

So everyone is on the "Let's build a Fab in the USA" train, will that eventually bring down the chip production costs? (not an expert in the field, so asking naively)

This is about the war with china. Europe: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/tech-is-make-or-break-i... Germany: https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/about-infineon/press/press-r... Korea: https://fortune.com/2021/05/13/south-korea-chip-semiconducto... Japan: https://www.aroged.com/2021/11/23/japan-has-allocated-5-2-bi... Non-OP USA: https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/09/us-chip-production-52b/ Key players are expecting an all…

> This is about the war with china.

> It's all an attempt to prevent war with China.

So the Chinese have UFOs and we have a war with China but we are moving chip production to all these countries you mentioned to prevent the ongoing war with China?

I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt here though. I think if you were able to be a little more clear I’d at least understand what you intend to say, but I find your comments here a bit confusing.

> And nobody is talking about it? This is completely related to the war with china.

Who isn’t talking about it? Assuming you’re talking about poor relations (“Cold War”) and/or loving chip production. It seems to me to be pretty common knowledge and is widely reported in global media sources and the Internet. Don’t the links you provide demonstrate that?

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#64
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was a kid I was bullied by the kids calling me crazy, because of my overly imaginative approach to reality. Fast forward a lot of years later i look at reality and find out that the bullies had no clue at all. The real world is far more bizarre than any of the imaginary worlds I created in my mind during childhood

You really think your imagination is the reason you got bullied?

> my overly imaginative approach to reality

I think he does

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#66

I am still amazed by the shortsightedness of how these critical and strategic goods are off-shore. No wonder why the supply chains are fragile and not robust. It should be illegal for strategic goods and components such as chips and semiconductors to be produced offshore. Yes, it will raise prices in the short and medium-term, but it will make the domestic economy and manufacturing sector more robust, resilient to su…

Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan don't have complete semiconductor supply chains either. All the companies in those countries are dependent on suppliers all over the region and the world.

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#68
post #2

So everyone is on the "Let's build a Fab in the USA" train, will that eventually bring down the chip production costs? (not an expert in the field, so asking naively)

This is more about national security and business continuity than cost. Costs matter most when things are running smoothly. However, COVID has taught us a hard lesson. When SHTF, you better have a back up plan. Making money on IP alone while someone else handles all of the manufacturing and integration work looks great on a spreadsheet. Then some state actor cuts off the supply chain (or a virus) and your genius MBAs start to not look so smart after all.

With any luck, COVID (and tariffs) has transformed business for the future.

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#69
After the TX grid failure last winter, it's probably not a coincidence that Samsung's new facility will be near ERCOT's operation center in Taylor, which manages the TX grid, and will likely be the last load to shed when the grid's stressed. Used to work in the Austin fab, and the amount of money lost per minute in a power failure is mind boggling. The tax breaks Taylor offered ($314m) are not that different from what Samsung was reported to have lost due to the grid failure ($270m).

Re: Samsung plans $17B chip plant in Taylor, Texas

#70

Ok, this article quietly gets fucking wild halfway through. >> Samsung spent years evaluating where to build the new fab, courting multiple locations and pitting them against each other for better incentives. But the ultimate decision came down to Samsung Group's leader Jay Y. Lee, who was granted early parole in August expressly to speed up crucial business decisions like the Texas chip fab. Accounting for between 1…

> Lee gave Choi money and horses in an effort to

note to the cryptokids: at least with using horses as currency you can pet them and ride them and race them for prizes!

Post reply on HN