Semiconductor Engineer:
The problem of US dependence on foreign manufactures turned first up on displays on which I worked in the US
Flat panel displays were invented in the US.
What I learned working on military displays
The “kill ratio” of fighter plane pilots depends critically on the quality of the displays that feed information to the pilot. As the fighter turns the display alternatively goes from deep shadow to bright sunlight - and instantaneously has to adjust its brightness to feed the pilot crucial information.
You may be annoyed that you can not read the screen of an Iphone in very bright sunlight. At 20 000 ft, not able to see your fighter display might kill you.
For about a decade the Pentagon kept two display manufacturers in the US alive. It then gave up.
There is no US manufactures of displays left.
Eric R Fossum:
I have co-founded and led several “fabless” semiconductor startups, including the one that enabled a camera in every pocket. TSMC is a great company, but I wish TSMC had a state of the art trusted fab in the US. Perhaps Apple and other cash-rich high tech giants can partner with TSMC and the US government to make this happen. Increased support for training US students in micro and nano electronics is also needed. As the fabs left the US,so shrunk university activity in this area in our country as well as ready access to state of the art technology. There are also other elements of the ecosystem that need strengthening. We can rebuild it if we have the will. Investment really isn't that expensive in the big picture and will probably pay for itself many times over. How much has been invested (using that term loosely) in US farmers in the past 18 months?
Walkman
I and many others in engineering saw this situation coming 25 years ago and tried to warn about it, but our political ‘leaders’ refused to listen, due to some combination of ignorance about technology and manufacturing, and greed for donations from investors looking for a quick profit from offshoring.
The US government must require that all electronic circuitry, including integrated circuits (‘chips’) used in any security related application, especially in defense and vital infrastructure, be manufactured in secure facilities in the US, and should finance as necessary the construction of the required production facilities and their necessary supply chains. The US defense budget is over $700 billion annually, a small fraction of which, say 5%, spent as direct investment or set aside as underwriting, would be money well spent to ensure that our military hardware won’t be rendered useless by a lack of secure electronics. Also, the requirement for US manufacture would ensure a market for US plants large enough to support a self- sustaining supply chain.
The US government must act quickly to fix this problem or it could become unsolvable sooner than anyone expects. The risk of inaction is catastrophic.
Pfeiffer Vacuum, a provider of vacuum solutions for the semiconductor, industrial, coating, analytical and R&D markets, has celebrated the expansion of its facility in Wuxi, China.
Double its original size, the new, expanded facility marks a significant milestone in Pfeiffer Vacuum's development in China, as it allows the company to better respond to local customers’ needs while supporting its strategic growth in the local coating and semiconductor market.
“This is part of our new growth strategy which includes a global investment program of €150 million”, said Hugh Kelly, representative of the management board, “In addition to providing after-sales service, the bigger facility will now also allow for the production of dry pumps and our new leak detection systems ATC, as well as the assembly of pumping stations. With the introduction of industry-leading technologies and equipment, Pfeiffer Vacuum is better poised to react to the needs of local customers.”
At the 2019 annual general meeting, Pfeiffer Vacuum shared eight strategic pillars of the company, with Eric Taberlet, CEO of Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology highlighting the importance of the Chinese market to the company's development. As one of the key cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, Wuxi has been receiving strong government support to develop its semiconductor, electronics and solar industry. The expanded facility not only strengthens Pfeiffer Vacuum's presence in China but also enables closer proximity to its customers in China as well as the wider Asia market.
https://compoundsemiconductor.net/article/109155/Pfeiffer_Vacuum_Opens_New_Plant_In_China