TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S. • Hacker News Board

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#861

Post by NicoJuicy » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:14 AM UTC

buzzert wrote: post #856

mullingitover wrote: post #843

I was surprised to learn Taiwan has dabbled in nuclear weapons in the past. They actually got caught developing them and had to swear they'd stop. Given that the US is doing a professional wrestling 'heel turn' and is now The Bad Guys, I wouldn't be surprised if, like NK, they just come out and announce that they have nukes. Honestly, and this is bad for the world but smart in a game theory sense, I think a lot of co…

I don't understand what makes the US "The Bad Guys" in the same sentence that mentions North Korea and China?

Threatening to annex Greenland ( Denmark)

Threatening to annex Canada and start a trade war to try to compulse them. Invoking Canadian nationalism instead. Note: he arranged the previous "trade deal" he claims to hate now.

Starting a trade war with Mexico, this is actually a source of Fentanyl and I can understand.

Camerading with dictators ( Russia), voting the same as them in the UN. Claiming Russia isn't the aggressor ( wtf), even China didn't agree with it.

Threatening a country being attacked and bullying it's president. Taking advantage of the situation to bully them for resource extraction.

Threatening Europe and stability in Europe:

Threatening Germany and interfering publicly with it's elections.

Threatening the UK and interfering publicly with it's elections

Disrespecting NATO and it's citizens who have died when US invoked article 5 on 9/11

US is getting more and more hate from literally everywhere in a very short time because of Trump. A lot is changing very quickly and it won't take 4 years until Trump is gone. We're 6 weeks in...

The entire world is pretty sure that Trump & Vance will take the US in a dictatorship. A lot of this is smoke and mirrors to keep everyone distracted and busy in the mean time ( personal opinion)

Pointer: just look at Tesla in Europe. Some countries are reporting a 45% drop in Tesla sales while the EV market expanded 40%...

Eg. Tesla sales dropped 70% in Canada in January. 81 % in Australia, 60% in Germany, ...

When people will stop US subscriptions ( eg. Netflix) and it's becoming noticable ( eg. Stocks). That will be a point of no return (eg. I think it's already going to be visible from Canada).

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#862

Post by rl3 » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:17 AM UTC

throwup238 wrote: post #847

sackbut wrote: post #845

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taiwan can still blow up their TSMC plants and fire conventional missiles at the three gorges damn to inflict near nuclear results on China.

Neither of which would achieve any strategic goals. TSMC is only important because Western economies crave cutting edge silicon and causing a natural disaster by destroying the dam would not only strengthen the resolve of the Chinese public but alienate the rest of the world.

Deterrence is in and of itself a strategic goal.

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#863

Post by honeybadger1 » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:17 AM UTC

helixfelix wrote: post #821

hayst4ck wrote: post #799

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no “reason” or justification. The decision to invade has already been made, all these explanations exist for the sole purpose of making it easier to do nothing about it when the invasion happens. Chinese people feel they way they are taught to feel. China's fundamental argument distilled to its most pure form is "we are strong enough to do this, what are you going to do about it?" A world where the strong do…

[flagged]

i honestly cannot believe an intelligent person can just boil it all down to this and be satisfied with it.

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#864

Post by kbenson » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:19 AM UTC

buzzert wrote: post #856

mullingitover wrote: post #843

I was surprised to learn Taiwan has dabbled in nuclear weapons in the past. They actually got caught developing them and had to swear they'd stop. Given that the US is doing a professional wrestling 'heel turn' and is now The Bad Guys, I wouldn't be surprised if, like NK, they just come out and announce that they have nukes. Honestly, and this is bad for the world but smart in a game theory sense, I think a lot of co…

I don't understand what makes the US "The Bad Guys" in the same sentence that mentions North Korea and China?

I don't think they were equating the US to North Korea (where is China mentioned?), but saying that since the US can no longer be relies on for protection (instead of the sheriff we're at best the anti-hero that will maybe protect you if there's something in it for us). This means countries need to put up a stronger front themselves since there's no larger stabilizing force to rely on.

It's interesting, because I'm sure Trump and Musk take advantage of the benefits that the regulated market provide (even when they just ignore it to their benefit because most others don't), but I'm not sure they've really considered what it means when that stability and security is gone, in more than a "I'm the biggest so I'll be okay" type of sense. There's a lot of positive externalities from that stability that maybe they are discounting too much (such as a relatively peaceful world, since it's been a while since we had a World War).

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#865

Post by osrec » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:22 AM UTC

rurp wrote: post #850

mullingitover wrote: post #843

I was surprised to learn Taiwan has dabbled in nuclear weapons in the past. They actually got caught developing them and had to swear they'd stop. Given that the US is doing a professional wrestling 'heel turn' and is now The Bad Guys, I wouldn't be surprised if, like NK, they just come out and announce that they have nukes. Honestly, and this is bad for the world but smart in a game theory sense, I think a lot of co…

Nuclear proliferation is the only logical response to this administration. Tripling the number of nuclear armed countries will greatly increase the odds of a hot conflict breaking out which risks the safety of everyone in the world. Of course this fairly straightforward calculus seems beyond what trump/musk are capable of and they are actively working to make Americans safer and less prosperous is countless ways.

Safer? Do you mean the opposite?

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#866

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:22 AM UTC

markles wrote: post #853

throwawayffffas wrote: post #681

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. China takes Taiwan quickly. That is extremely unlikely to happen, Taipei has invested a lot in defense, and until lately the public in Taiwan at least says they would fight[1]. It's extremely unlikely that they will fold so fast that the US won't have to get involved or to choose to not get involved. > 3. Taiwan successfully defends itself, repels the Chinese invasion, and possibly even takes back some territory…

I think it's more likely that over the next few years US power fades in the region and Taiwan strikes a bargain with China. The Taiwanese are extremely pragmatic when it comes to these sorts of things, and I somehow doubt they'll enter into a conflict they know they can't win. China is also pragmatic and would be willing to allow Taiwan significant autonomy if they can on paper say they've reunited Taiwan with the mo…

[deleted]

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#867

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:24 AM UTC

mullingitover wrote: post #852

jonkoops wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 'small' island with one of the most successful and thriving democracies in the East, that has world class industry. China cannot have a successful democracy on their doorstep, it undermines their perception of absolute Chinese superiority.

This doesn't really make sense, the Chinese standard of living has risen to very comfortable levels over the past couple decades. There aren't throngs of desperately poor Chinese people longing for the capitalist democratic paradise over in Taiwan. If anything, China's rising wealth and living standard is a threat to the United States ' sense of superiority. I don't see the US saying "Screw it, let's try totalitarian…

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Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#868

Post by osrec » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:24 AM UTC

buzzert wrote: post #856

mullingitover wrote: post #843

I was surprised to learn Taiwan has dabbled in nuclear weapons in the past. They actually got caught developing them and had to swear they'd stop. Given that the US is doing a professional wrestling 'heel turn' and is now The Bad Guys, I wouldn't be surprised if, like NK, they just come out and announce that they have nukes. Honestly, and this is bad for the world but smart in a game theory sense, I think a lot of co…

I don't understand what makes the US "The Bad Guys" in the same sentence that mentions North Korea and China?

Is it not obvious? Unless you're deliberately ignoring world events, what in the last few weeks could make you think they're the good guys?!

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#869

Post by buzzert » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:24 AM UTC

mullingitover wrote: post #859

buzzert wrote: post #856

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand what makes the US "The Bad Guys" in the same sentence that mentions North Korea and China?

In the recent Ukraine vote (condemning the Russian invasion) at the UN the US voted with North Korea and Russia. Even China and Iran didn't vote with Russia on that one, they abstained.

> When it came to the vote, Ukraine’s version passed by 93 votes to 18. The US voted against, alongside Russia, marking a major shift of its position on the conflict and previous votes.

> The US version was also adopted (93 in favour, eight against and 73 abstentions), but Member States also voted to add the European Union amendments with 60 in favour, 18 against and 81 abstentions.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160456

Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.

#870

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Mar 05, 2025, 12:27 AM UTC

tnt128 wrote: post #314

The idea that the US protects Taiwan from a possible Chinese invasion over chips is one of those things that sounds believable but really isn't going to happen. From China’s perspective, the cost of war is much higher than the cost of developing these chips themselves. In the worst-case scenario, they would be 2-3 years behind the cutting edge, which is not mission-critical. Most electronics (civilian or military) do…

[deleted]