Completely agree. The world's supply of semiconductors is dependent, in some ways, on the benevolence of the CCP. TSMC is like Arakkis. We need to diversify the supply chain.
When (not if) China acts on that, there will be trouble.
China has strong infowar capability and is developing it quickly. Old-fashioned spy-vs-spy type warfare works, too, but is less visible.
The Japanese held many untenable defensive positions in the Pacific for months.
Unless China is willing to nuke Taiwan, (what would be the point?) a military offensive to take over Taiwan would be extremely unlikely to succeed within a few months - and assuming the US/Australia/UK/Japan/South Korea provide support - almost impossible.
Doing any kind of amphibious landing offensive is incredibly costly and difficult.
China's best hope would be that Joe Biden is under CCP control.
That's really only because of other countries outsourcing to China and not supporting domestic mining. There is no shortage of rare earths in other countries.
Brilliant really. Get political points for "lowering emissions", then double dip getting more points for "being hard on China" while at the same time not hugely affecting the economy, jobs, or ticking off industrialists.
Yes, but the planned chips are an older generation right now and they'll be even older when the fab actually starts production. TSMC would never move cutting edge production outside of Taiwan.
Just think about it rationally. If TSMC isn’t allowed to meet demand, well of course someone will be incentivized to move the IP elsewhere where you are permitted to meet demand. It would be such a colossal opportunity. Indeed shutting off TSMC would be great for other people interested in getting into chip manufacturing, in the same way that reducing competition in anything benefits producers.
The reason that doesn’t happen has nothing to do with geopolitics and everything to do with what every mainstream US politician has always been saying: subsidies, and the price of labor.
> Just think about it rationally.
Indeed.
Like Foxconn is (still!) saying they're building a fab in WI.