Comment by bellyfullofbac | Hacker News Reader

Comment by bellyfullofbac | Hacker News Reader

The last 3 paragraphs confirms what I think is the most interesting point:

> The Bosch plant, which received 200 million euros ($243 million) in state aid under a European Union investment scheme, will start making chips for power tools in July, with output of automotive chips to follow from September.

> "The state-of-the-art technology in Bosch's new semiconductor factory in Dresden shows what outstanding results can be achieved when industry and government join forces," said European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager.

> Kroeger said Bosch supported a broader strategic push by Brussels to revive Europe’s semiconductor industry. A recently unveiled plan targets doubling the region’s share of global chip production to 20% by 2030.

I saw a Guardian headline the other day that said Biden's mission at the G7 meeting is to find allies for a new Cold War against China[1], but the USA isn't actually a reliable partner for the EU, what with Trump 2024 a scenario they can't even rule out yet (thanks to the obstructionist party still being very influential and working very hard to disenfranchise voters). So it makes sense for the EU to ramp up chip production.

Interestingly for Bosch or other tech companies, it's probably a no-lose scenario, the EU money will probably keep coming for them.

[1] I DDGed "Biden new cold war" but the results are headlines that say he's accelerating it...

Curious you’re focusing on US (politics) and not China/Taiwan/SEA… is that really relevant considering they have enough capital and Germany has plenty of manufacturing?

The only thing relevant for the US re risking starting this niche is brain drain and talent. The market is always growing, they already have vertical demand (power tools and simple car chips), and new more-local competition can never be dismissed.

It always comes down to the people at the end of the day. Your 2nd paragraph quote where they are declaring this a successful example of public/private just because the factory was built is a bit concerning to me. They’ve mearly just begun.

> The only thing relevant for the US re risking starting this niche is brain drain and talent.

That's unlikely due to extremely high taxes in the EU for individuals. People who know their stuff tend to migrate where they get more in return for their talents.

Hmm. Admittedly it was a long time ago buy I moved from a (then) EU country to the US and from my perspective taxes are about the same. And in the US we have to pay for a bunch of stuff that is government funded in EU.

I migrated from the EU to the US, but then realised that once everything was factored in (medical, car, housing, cost of living) the taxes were actually worth it, so I moved back to the EU.

Did you compare EU to Singapore or Thailand in terms of tax and the life cost?

What I pay for in medical insurance and routine medical expenses pushes me is just about equal to the difference between my current US taxes and European tax rates - and I'm a fairly healthy person with no chronic conditions.

Frankly, I don't see the point of celebrating the fact that my money is going to private companies as premiums/co-payments rather than to the central government as taxes, while getting worse medical outcomes for it (with a risk of medical bankruptcy).

When you have more complex health problems, you'll notice though that you still have to use private healthcare, because state provided is next to useless.

Taking what you said at face value - this doesn't give an advantage to either system when it comes to the minority of people who have complex health problems. In practice, European private healthcare is likely to have more price transparency and cheaper costs due to the pricing of procedures and medical consumables having been negotiated/capped by a government agency or an independent body.

When I moved to the US my nominal salary tripled but my quality of life dropped noticeably. The first part I knew going in, the 2nd part came as a total surprise.

Taxes actually come out about the same when you add the multitude of separate tax systems in the US (federal income, social security/medicare, state, local), and then in the US additionally have to pay extra for things that are paid by taxes in Europe, health care being the biggest such expense.

And then there is the expectation of working 24/7, nobody has much vacation and nobody takes what they get, etc etc etc. Yeah, quality of life for Americans is nowhere comparable to Europeans, unless you're in the "I no longer work for money, my money works for money" set.

This is a second Bosch' plant of this type so they know what they will be getting out of it.

Plus chip shortage/supply chain disruption makes it even more valuable.

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