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Bringing over from Festival: Lonepalm's latest on China
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Taiwan has two things the PRC doesn't have but definitely needs. The first is the Dutch machines that make the high end chips, < 10nm. The second is people with the technical knowledge to run those machines and build the VERY special facilities that house those machines. Those facilities are so clean they make a US surgical suite look a back alley in Bangkok.
There are those who think the PRC could get chips, machines, and people it needs by invading Taiwan. This would be a preordained failure. There are already plans in place to move the machines and people to Japan in the event an invasion looks likely. Worst case, the machines are blown up in place and the people get out. They can always buy more machines from the Dutch.
That doesn't mean that Xi Jinping won't try it. The greatest danger with Xi is that he is probably the single most isolated national leader on Earth. He makes Robinson Caruso look like a social butterfly. He has either removed, killed (not hyperbole), or intimidated anyone of ability around him such that no one wants to bring him bad news for fear of how he will react. This means that he likely doesn't have a clear picture of what is going on in the PRC.
I can't over stress the danger here. The level of internal unrest in the PRC is growing daily. If Xi decides to have a go at Taiwan it won't be about getting chip making machines. It will be to provide a diversion from internal problems. I think he likely knows that this would fail but drowning men grasp at straws to stay afloat.
I am having increasing doubts as to whether the PLA (army) and/or the PLAN (navy) would go along with an order to invade. I wouldn't want to make a life or death invasion of Cuba during hurricane season after a Cat 5 just swept up Florida.

Hope this answers your question. If anyone has more questions I will answer as best as I can.

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Thanks again, LP. I don't know where you're getting all this information and insight on China; but, I really appreciate it. Your understanding of the semiconductor industry and your analysis of Taiwan's contingency planning, e.g., moving sine qua non technology to Japan, is crucial, and I have not seen the like in the media, or even in Michael Pillsbury's excellent book.

Once again the FReeQ thread demonstrates why it is such a primo source of information.

BTW, is there a particular Dutch company that makes these machines? Are they public?

One more question (best Columbo imitation): Which American semiconductor manufacturers use the Dutch machines; or, is there some other source?

I have read that Intel is engaged in a major multi-year retooling. Do you happen to know if this has the potential (eventually) to replace Taiwan in this <10nm segment?

It’s looking more likely that the semiconductor supply chain is about to become a massive train wreck.

Another reason America needs Trump ASAP. Warrior-Businessman.

Thanks again.

BTW, is there a particular Dutch company that makes these machines? Are they public?

The company is ASML Holding N.V. (commonly shortened to ASML, originally standing for Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography). Yes they are a publicly traded company.

From Wikipedia
As of 2022 it is the largest supplier for the semiconductor industry and the sole supplier in the world of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) photolithography machines that are required to manufacture the most advanced chips.[2] As of June 2023, ASML was the most highly valued European tech company, with a market capitalization of about US$280 billion.

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I get this information because I have spent time looking for it (It is seriously eating into my computer gaming.) and I can generally recognize the importance of what I find. I'm not perfect. Sometimes I see something that triggers a search for a different thing I saw a while back.

The most valuable and annoying traits in an Intelligence Officer are an insane curiosity coupled with a less than perfect memory. Guilty in spades. Over the years I have developed a fairly decent mental indexing system. Think of it as a pre-WWW library card catalog. I got my MSCS before the World Wide Web existed.

I may not remember the details of something but I can almost always remember enough about something to find it again. In the process of retrieving the data I usually find more interesting details about what I just went searching for.

WWG1WGA

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)