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Comment by systemvoltage | Hacker News Reader

I'm really interested in how Taiwan would destroy its fabs. Like boots-on-the-ground mechanics of how this would work. C4 charges implanted in server rooms and the entire fab? Or a special task force steps in and wires the whole building with explosives? Air strike after evacuating the Fab? Close by Ground-to-ground artillery/guided missiles? Digital keys that disable all equipment and wipe out all data/IP? I'd love to be a fly on the wall in these military rooms if something like this is going on. Even better to be part of the team in charge of handling this scenario. That kind of sounds like a whole lot of fun.

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I'm not an expert, but my impression was that chip fabs are incredibly sterile places. You could probably disable one for a long time by just chucking a barrel full of dust into the cleanroom.

If it were total destruction, my money would be on artillery. Wikipedia says the range for modern artillery is 15-300km, which gives a very wide radius in which artillery could be hidden (ignoring local geography). If the artillery was preemptively dialed into the fab, it could be fired at very short notice, and I don't think anyone would be able to stop the shells mid-flight.

I worked in a clean room for a couple of years-- you are correct that any contamination could cost months of cleaning. Possibly even losing environmental control of the facility. A lot of people don't realize clean rooms have temperatures/humidity factors that must be maintained.

That being said I'm sure the real risk is the Chinese capturing the machines-- it is acknowledged they are about 15 years behind the state of the art.

Just about all the equipment in fabs is tremendously sensitive to contamination. You could probably put one out of action for months just by opening the doors to outside air.

But what about reverse engineering?

Ding ding ding.

Just knowing something is possible is often a great breakthrough to advancing understanding

The chinese would still have tangible examples of ip to reverse engineer. The thing is that TSMC is building fabs in the US and in Europe (iirc), so even if China starts producing products replicating TSMC, the west can’t be held economic hostage in such a scenario for much longer.

That still leaves it open to reverse engineering though. You would atleast have to bomb the place.

If they really wanted to destroy the capability, wouldn't they have to kill the engineers and technicians or at least evacuate them?

Just look at history with operation Paperclip where German rocket scientists surrendered to the Allies. Those German scientists formed the core of NASA.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip

China would probably have the workforce and technology to rebuild it almost quickly, unless the physical destruction is also accompanied by all engineers fleeing to western countries carrying all IP with them. That would represent quite a damage.

Open barrel of fluorantimonic acid.

Turn on humidifier.

Leave the area!

The military bombs it.

Ransomeware.

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