[GTALUG] OT: NYT article "How To Construct a Chip Factory

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Ivan Avery Frey via talk <talk at gtalug.org>
| 
| The Huge Endeavor to Produce a Tiny Microchip
| https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/08/technology/intel-chip-shortage.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhkTFUbCybJUNMnqBqCgvfeh706mnL6aSOVSC4H1OQSGZSJ9EqLZbZmY5F7-QWnc-J7Ee1lQu1unKgYNlZxSgKsr9zUlM1Ye3tlpcfpU28_ms-dVLx9-zSwNSzjcrt0mrOysUncb2f6SeeIhy1aUQVjp5didVyg2mVZhfuWV74ohaQtmKspFZt4RjwfZSSVvviOCx52PNqObR20-RBhEqgCGmmVxYjAnupGJAZCClvGT2d95HI8675fO9AQO6X_K30waUiPHYqWfATJsULH1t8BHho

Interesting.

As Moore's law progressed, a different law also applied: exponentially
fewer cutting edge fabs.  Simply put, each generation of fab got
exponentially more expensive (I don't have actual cost data).

It used to be that every chip vendor had its own fab.  But they got
exponetially more complicated and expensive and a new model developed:
fabless chip vendors and merchant fabs.

Example: most RISC vendors were fabless
Example: AMD spun off its fab as "Global Foundaries".
Example: fabs TSMC, SMIC.

I don't follow this closely but Intel's fabs may be the last that are
mostly producing their owners own chips.  Intel has tried to be a
merchant fab but I don't think that they have gotten much business.

I don't know much about linear chips.  Maybe the picture is different
there.

Intel's vertical integration used to be a plus.  They would develop
their next "node" (step in feature size or performance) ahead of
everyone else.  This seemed to be because they were willing to put
more money into manufacturing each chip (because they could get it
back) and also because each node was developed in parallel with the
design of the chips that would use it.  Perhaps six years ago their
node progression stumbled and now their manufacturing is only on a par
with TSMC in performance and it might be much more expensive (usually
due to higher defect rates).

It is very bad for the world that TSMC is almost the only game in town
for cutting edge processors.  Samsung is OK too.

Taiwan may be the next Ukraine.

There are a lot of suppliers of high-tech things needed for fabs.  Many
with no competitor.  Some are in Europe and some are in the US.  The
way US governments have been throwing around sanctions, you can bet
that PRC is trying to create local replacements.

Our world is partitioning before our eyes.