News Chipmakers Warn About U.S. Fabs Delays if CHIPS Act Not Passed Soon

[Admin]

GlobalFoundries follows Intel with warnings regarding new fab delays.

Chipmakers Warn About U.S. Fabs Delays if CHIPS Act Not Passed Soon : Read more

 

[garrett040]

Of course, what corporation would want tax payer money to the tune of 550 Billion US dollars. If this passes I better get a good discount on raptor lake

 

[logainofhades]

Of course, what corporation would want tax payer money to the tune of 550 Billion US dollars. If this passes I better get a good discount on raptor lake

It is about getting them online sooner, for more domestic production. If these companies don't get said assistance, it will delay the fabs being completed. It is in our best interest to get more chip production here at home. The pandemic, and the chip shortages it caused, are a perfect example of why these fabs need to be operational, ASAP. It's a whole lot easier to transport product, within you own country vs depending on overseas companies to bring it to you. This is one of the rare times I am in favor of a company getting assistance with building something.

 

[ezst036]

Look at all the wealthy, holding their hands out for free taxpayer money. They should spend the billions they already have, independently. I don't like the blending of corporation and state.

 

[logainofhades]

I normally do not either, but this really is a matter of national security, so government involvement, in expediting the process of getting these fabs built, make this the exception. It's not like when say a sports team tries to extort the taxpayer to build a new stadium, to avoid leaving to another city.

 

[Giroro]

"To do it sooner rather than later, we would need government co-investment with us,"

Do they really want the US government as a shareholding investor? Because, I'm pretty sure they're actually asking for a blind donation with no strings attached.

 

[logainofhades]

"To do it sooner rather than later, we would need government co-investment with us,"

Do they really want the US government as a shareholding investor? Because, I'm pretty sure they're actually asking for a blind donation with no strings attached.

It most likely would be in the form of a loan.

 

[chaz_music]

One topic that I have not found yet is exactly what they are offering the IC fab companies and for what products. One of the things I run into as an engineer is that the commodity parts are getting hard to find as well. Some engineers call them bubble gum parts (op-amps, resistors, comparators, etc.). Many US fabs walked away from these commodity parts because it makes more money to manufacture high end parts, just like drug companies stopped making low profit drugs for the expensive high profit margin drugs. And there are other very important technologies and materials that are getting dangerously hard to buy such as rare earth metals for PM motors (like in EVs and clothes washers) and cobalt for Lithium batteries. Foreign countries decimated the US mining for these materials and now they are getting hard to buy. What if we get an embargo for these? Our economy would suck wind fast.

I truly hope that they are paying attention that for US self reliance, we need lower tech investments as well as high tech. And not just processors and computers. I can't find high power 600V 75A MOSFETs hardly anywhere. They used to be very easy to buy. These are used in cars, mid sized UPS systems (20-50KVA), motor drives and servo drivers, and other common high uses.

 

[ko888]

It most likely would be in the form of a loan.

The CHIPS Act is subsidies. There's no mention of loans. Loans have to be payed back. Subsidies are grants or gifts of money.

 

[edzieba]

One topic that I have not found yet is exactly what they are offering the IC fab companies and for what products. One of the things I run into as an engineer is that the commodity parts are getting hard to find as well. Some engineers call them bubble gum parts (op-amps, resistors, comparators, etc.). Many US fabs walked away from these commodity parts because it makes more money to manufacture high end parts, just like drug companies stopped making low profit drugs for the expensive high profit margin drugs. And there are other very important technologies and materials that are getting dangerously hard to buy such as rare earth metals for PM motors (like in EVs and clothes washers) and cobalt for Lithium batteries. Foreign countries decimated the US mining for these materials and now they are getting hard to buy. What if we get an embargo for these? Our economy would suck wind fast.

I truly hope that they are paying attention that for US self reliance, we need lower tech investments as well as high tech. And not just processors and computers. I can't find high power 600V 75A MOSFETs hardly anywhere. They used to be very easy to buy. These are used in cars, mid sized UPS systems (20-50KVA), motor drives and servo drivers, and other common high uses.

Don't forget passives and casings! The little geographic region around the South China Sea is packed not just with chip fabs, but PCB fabs, PCB substrate manufacturers, component manufacturers, component raw material manufacturers (e.g. electrolytes for caps), injection moulders, injection mould die shops, bulk plastic manufactures, metal refiners, etc. All a few days away by sea-freight in bulk quantities, and sometimes available overnight (or even same day for some regions and components). That's crazy hard to build from the ground up elsewhere to match the capabilities of far east manufacturing, far moreso than any wage disparity (smaller than you would think for high-tech industries).