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gettyOn Monday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo presented a $52 billion investment proposal aimed at chip manufacturing, which she said should stimulate private investment and lead to the construction of between seven and 10 factories on U.S. soil.
The ongoing shortage of chips worldwide, which is causing disruption to a range of industries, notably consumer electronics and vehicle manufacturing, has made them the resource that increasingly defines countries’ competitiveness. Intel’s big failure, which last July confessed its incapacity to manufacture chips with seven-nanometer technology, triggering, among other things, Apple’s decision to start using its own microprocessors, left the US in a very bad place: the United States produced 37% of the world’s microprocessors in 1990, but that proportion now stands at just 12%, leaving the US industry vulnerable.
The big winners so far have been Taiwan and South Korea, thanks to local chip makers such as TSMC and Samsung. China, spurred on by the Trump administration’s sanctions, has earmarked huge state investments to develop its own chip manufacturing industry, and although Taiwan still considers Beijing five years behind, despite decades of subsidies, it’s trying to protect itself as best it can by excluding some Chinese companies from its digital infrastructure, while imposing tough regulations on them.
Nevertheless, the semiconductor industry is constantly changing and adapting: Apple is beginning to integrate five-nanometer chips in some of its devices, TSMC is making progress in the manufacture of three-nanometer chips and IBM has announced the first two-nanometer chips. Increasingly, a clearly defined chip strategy defines the aspirations of a competitive company. Microsoft may soon follow Apple in abandoning Intel, underscoring the central role that chips and semiconductors play as the building blocks in today’s economy. And as with companies, so with countries: nations unable to develop clear strategic lines and priorities for research, development and supply of chips for their industries will necessarily have to depend on third parties and accept their rules and priorities.
The Link LonkMay 26, 2021 at 07:29PM
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The Chips Are Down, And Nations And Companies Are Making Their Play - Forbes
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