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Comment by ijidak | Hacker News Reader

I'd like to learn more about how they've been sabotaged. What happened?

Google US semiconductor sanctions on China. Basically US (and allies pressed by US) aren't allowed to export their most cutting edge semiconductor tools and materials to China, so China can only make chips using older-gen tools on older process nodes than western-aligned competitors.

The other part of the sabotage is that western companies then have restrictions on what chips they're allowed to buy from China. IDK if RAM chips are also on that list.

> IDK if RAM chips are also on that list.

Apple cancelled their deal with YMTC (Chinese RAM company) after the US sanctioned the latter. I don't know whether that is directly because of the sanctions, or indirectly (e.g. if Apple thought sanctions would hamper YMTC's ability to supply the goods), but they have had the same effect.

https://www.lightreading.com/business-management/chinese-chi...

https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/appl...

Is any of that relevant to RAM? Half the DRAM is non-EUV and pretty much all DRAM has been stuck on 10nm for the last decade

That isn't "sabotage". Those are export restrictions.

China also runs adverse competitive industrial policies (e.g., industrial spying, flooding markets). Not making value judgment here.

You have quite the post history BTW.

I dont know if trade sanctions counts as "sabotage" but point taken.

Well it kinda counts as self-sabotage now, at least in effect. We shot ourselves in the foot so China couldn't compete as easily.

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