TSMC Halts Advanced Chip Shipments To Chinese AI Companies 18
Starting November 11, TSMC plans to stop supplying 7 nm and smaller chips to Chinese companies working on AI processors and GPUs. "The move is reportedly to ensure it remains compliant with US export restrictions," reports The Register. From the report: This will not affect Chinese customers wanting 7 nm chips from TSMC for other applications such as mobile and communications, according to Nikkei, which said the overall impact on the chipmaker's revenue is likely to be minimal. TrendForce further cites another China-based source who claims the move was at the behest of the US Department of Commerce, which informed TSMC that any such shipments should not proceed unless approved and licensed by its BIS (Bureau of Industry and Security). We asked the agency for confirmation.
Any moves by the silicon supremo is likely to be out of caution to pre-empt accusations from Washington that it isn't doing enough to prevent advanced technology from getting into the hands of Chinese entities that have been sanctioned. As TrendForce notes, it "highlights the foundry giant's delicate position in the global semiconductor supply chain amid the heating chip war between the world's two superpowers."
Any moves by the silicon supremo is likely to be out of caution to pre-empt accusations from Washington that it isn't doing enough to prevent advanced technology from getting into the hands of Chinese entities that have been sanctioned. As TrendForce notes, it "highlights the foundry giant's delicate position in the global semiconductor supply chain amid the heating chip war between the world's two superpowers."
Re:Delicate position indeed. (Score:4, Insightful)
Putting embargoes on software implementations of algorithms was a pretty stupid idea. But back then, PCs only existed for 20 years, and wasn't even widespread for half that time period. Legislators didn't understand what software was.
The US is not trying to embargo an idea. They're trying to embargo the manufacturing equipment needed to make those ideas achievable in our lifetime. And frankly, I support that, especially since the CCP is gearing up to modernize their military equipment and capabilities. And FU to the traitor vulture capitalist bankers taking it in the shorts now.
Re: (Score:3)
All they are doing is speeding up China's efforts to produce domestic high end fabs. Someone will be along in a moment to tell you how it's impossible and China can never catch up, but I guarantee you in five years time we will be here wondering how China is mass producing cutting edge chips at half the price we can.
Re: (Score:2)
All they are doing is speeding up China's efforts to produce domestic high end fabs.
And good luck to them! They're only fifteen years behind on EUV technology (and maybe five on DUV). I wonder what the west will be capable of in 15 years. More money and (human) resources they have to invest in infrastructure technology is less money for AI and adapting copies of military tech they steal from us.
but I guarantee you in five years time we will be here wondering how China is mass producing cutting edge chips at half the price we can.
Man, you don't get it. The Chinese are f**ked. They're dictated by a supreme leader who has to make all the strategic decisions of every aspect of Communist life, from the national economy, to
Re: (Score:2)
Heard it all before. They were decades behind on radio and network tech, right up until the moment when Huawei released 5G a couple of years ahead of everyone in the West, and got paid for the key patents it developed for the technology.
They were decades behind on cars, right up until they produced better EVs built to the highest German luxury standards, and everyone started buying their batteries and drivetrains.
We are f**ked until we accept the truth and make an effort to compete.
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They're dictated by a supreme leader who has to make all the strategic decisions of every aspect of Communist life, from the national economy, to research priorities, to military modernization, to foreign policy, to domestic policy, to eliminating party rivals.
Just wait a few months, your own supreme leader with be crowned coming January and from there USA will be all downhill.
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> Just wait a few months, your own supreme leader with be crowned coming January and from there USA will be all downhill.
Nah. Trump isn't a dictator, he's an incompetent narcissistic nincompoop. He'll just acid corrode the American institutions which took almost a century to build up. Capitalism is not going to let America fall behind to Communists. Europe could have been the successor to American hegemony, but its pretty telling when they cannot take care of a 10th largest GDP gas station by themsel
Re:Delicate position indeed. (Score:4, Insightful)
The US still has export restrictions [doc.gov] for cryptography -- and that's for non-military end use. Military end uses are regulated much more strictly.
They'll make it themselves (Score:3)
China was pretty happy to buy their multi billion dollar fabbing, etching and lithography from the west and Taiwan, but being forced to make it themselves, they surely will now. Huawei is now making advanced AI chips using US etching tech that Applied Materials and LAM happily provided to China, and older DUV processes from ASML. (https://archive.is/zIZqW)
While behind on ASML's EUV tech, apparently they are able to make competitive chips anyway. Given that the Chinese government has now made it a priority under US pressure, it's a matter of time that they will fill van n the gaps.
ASML is the biggest European tech firm, and it will likely be overtaken by China because of the current US policy.
Re: They'll make it themselves (Score:2)
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Once again US sanctions not only fail to achieve their goal but in fact manage the opposite. Now China is rapidly developing their own domestic chip industry, including lithography systems that appear to be more efficient than what they had formerly been purchasing. Congratulations to the US State Department!
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"Chinese customers accounted for over 25% of ASML's revenue in 2023 and China represents a major market for the world's top maker of lithography tools"
And it seems that the latest reductions in stated transistor nm size aren't really leading to faster chips anyway, silicon doesn't want to go much beyond 5ghz. Rather than saving energy AMD and intel have been putting more energy through their chips to get slightly higher benchmark results and look at the trouble that has caused intel.
I've seen claimed China
Necessity is the mother of invention (Score:2)
roflmao (Score:2)
"Yes we need 80 billion SIMD chips and high-speed interconnects for mobile phones and other non-AI applications."
hahahahahahahahahahaha
Musk will correct this problem (Score:2)
Musk has said that Taiwan is really part of China and should be reunited.
I expect the new Trump administration to drop support for Taiwan as a separate country.
This does lead to some cognitive dissonance. How can Musk persuade Trump to drop tariffs on China (where he has lots of investments) while at the same time promoting "one China"?
Re: Musk will correct this problem (Score:1)
When did he say that? Not doubting you, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising. But I don't remember it.
Asking to get invaded? (Score:2)
Not a good strategy to piss off the Chinese like that. Instead the best move to prevent a Chinese invasion would be for everyone in Taiwan to act like there's a zombie plague happening there.