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Specialist_Teacher81 t1_ityvsli wrote

Reply to comment by wubbbalubbadubdub in TSMC says efforts to rebuild US semiconductor industry are doomed to fail by 0wed12

Doomed to fail, because we are off of the standard supply routes, and our costs are prohibitively expensive. We could make it work, but that would require tariffs and other laws to stifle outside competition for computer chips. But that would require biting into corporate profits, which as as much chance of passing in the U.S. government as a snowball in hell.

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G3sch4n t1_itywfce wrote

It is a security issue first. Modern military hardware uses a shit load of chips. So if necessary it would have to be subsidized until is financially viable.

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[deleted] t1_itz50qr wrote

[removed]

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narciblog t1_itz8oaw wrote

Without Wi-Fi, how is my coffee maker going to download firmware updates?

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ThankFSMforYogaPants t1_itzmma0 wrote

Military stuff is crazy low volume. Unit costs would be astronomical.

And security vulnerabilities in IoT devices are a systemic risk. They create vectors for attack.

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vhu9644 t1_itz8s07 wrote

Well you’re half right.

Nothing stops is from making these chips commercially. But right now we just don’t know how to make these chips at a competitive yield. Sure we can make chips that work at the highest level. They just also come with a much larger failure rate than is competitively viable.

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patrickstarpenishead t1_itzbh7n wrote

I work defense. The amount of money we have to spend to get US made chips is absurd. Every part has to be domestic.

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wubbbalubbadubdub t1_itz5a6u wrote

You should have written the article, you seem to know more about the subject than the writer.

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Specialist_Teacher81 t1_itz5qv5 wrote

If opinions upset you, you are in the wrong place buddy.

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wubbbalubbadubdub t1_itzdigs wrote

Your opinions didn't upset me at all, I'm saying the guy who wrote the article is crap because he didn't include any of those reasons to back up the quote he repeated twice.

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kofine05 t1_iu7wddb wrote

The US has several unsavory cards up it's sleeve that would allow it to be competitive with eastern chip making countries if it's people are willing to hold their noses.

  1. We have a constant supply of immagrants from South America looking for work and are willing to work for cheap. Even if chip creation factories don't hire them directly their presence alone will drive wage demands down. This is only possible by expanding green card access. Make it simple to enter the US if you promise to find a job.

  2. The US dollar is the world's reserve currency. This makes it very very easy to loan out cheap money for building.

  3. The US has the wealth to cut taxes on chip production and factory creation to zero if it so chooses.

  4. The US has the number 1 internal market demand for chips. Companies can make class leading profits selling to the North American markets only. Abroad sales are not a requirement for success.

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olearygreen t1_itz4t3s wrote

Protectionism always hurts the protectionist.

It will make everything more expensive, harder to export and require more protectionist measures that require our companies to compete less with the world having eventually a negative effect on National Security due to messer products. Ask Russia how that works out.

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Specialist_Teacher81 t1_itz5vyk wrote

There are no absolutes, unrestricted free trade also has bad outcomes. You need a measured approach, not ideologies.

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