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There is no doubt about it: Taiwan Semiconductor has emerged as the world’s most important chipmaker. And now, in the midst of a global semiconductor shortage, it is becoming clear exactly how important the company’s dominance has been. Not only has TSMC made headlines for proposing to expand production into the United States, as we have documented numerous times, but now it is making headlines for how it has become the center of the semiconductor world – and how that can leave the world vulnerable. TSMC’s chips are in “billion of products”, including iPhones, computers and cars, the Wall Street...

The official announcement of Windows 11 last month brought both excitement and confusion for enthusiasts. A brand-new Windows operating system only comes around every few years, but Microsoft’s hardware requirements left many scratching their heads. Chief among them is the instance on mandatory TPM 2.0 modules and AMD Ryzen 2000 or 7th generation Intel Core (and newer) processors. The processor cutoff was particularly puzzling, considering that AMD’s first-generation Ryzen 1000 processors came out in 2017, which is not that old in the grand scheme of things. For example, the 8-core/16-thread Ryzen 7 1800X is still a perfectly acceptable processor for...

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger Says Semi Shortage Could Last “A Couple Years” Brace for more pessimistic news about the global semiconductor shortage…Intel is now going on the record and doubling down on statements that its CEO made on 60 Minutes earlier this year, stating that it could take “several years” for the current supply shortage of semiconductors to be resolved. CEO Pat Gelsinger said that the pandemic-inspired “work from home” trend caused a “cycle of explosive growth in semiconductors”, according to Reuters. “But while the industry has taken steps to address near term constraints it could still take a couple...

We just had some Major Announcements about ARM Development that changes Intels X86 future! Here's what we found out! (spoiler alert -- they have met the enemy and it is them)

Nearly 1,000 Apple employees have signed an internal letter to CEO Tim Cook urging the company to issue a public statement in support of the Palestinian people, The Verge reported Thursday. "We are frustrated and disappointed because once more, many of those in positions of power and influence - who boldly stand for human rights in so many other just causes - either choose to remain silent or release ineffectually neutral 'both sides' statements with regards to the Palestinian situation," wrote the letter's authors, who are members of the Apple Muslim Association, according to The Verge. Apple taking a "both...

The wife of Democratic Delaware Sen. Tom Carper purchased shares of semiconductor manufacturer Intel Corp. just days before President Biden issued an executive order aimed at addressing the global chip shortage.... If Sen. Carper knew that Biden would sign the executive order, then Martha Ann Stacy Carper’s share purchases were “certainly unethical,” said Hank Sheinkopf, president of the New York-based strategic communications firm Sheinkopf Communications Ltd. He added that while a causal relationship may not exist, it “doesn't look good” that Carper represents Delaware, Biden’s home state. Taking action to combat a global shortage of semiconductor chips has become a...

Some 1,600 jobs are being cut at a Jeep Cherokee factory in northern Illinois as automakers continue being plagued by the global shortage of semiconductors. The U.S. arm of Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler, said Friday it was cutting one of the two work shifts at its Belvidere Assembly Plant as of July 26. That could result in the layoffs of 1,641 workers, .... the factory’s situation “has been further exacerbated by the unprecedented global microchip shortage,” Tinson said. The Belvidere facility has been idled since late March, with Stellantis repeatedly delaying the reopening that is now not expected...

Readers have been briefed on the ongoing semiconductor shortage that may last a “couple of years.” The auto industry has grabbed the spotlight as the hardest-hit industry, with some of the world’s biggest manufacturers restricting production. According to a new report, the worldwide chip shortage is impacting the agriculture industry that may last for a couple of years and has already impacted the price of potato chips. Hoosier Ag Today reports, “The biggest factor impacting the ability of US farmers to produce the food we need has nothing to do with the weather, the markets, trade, regulations, or disease. The...

Some of the world's biggest chip buyers, including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google, are joining top chip-makers such as Intel Corp (INTC.O) to create a new lobbying group to press for government chip manufacturing subsidies.

The continuing global semiconductor shortage has highlighted the United States’ dependence on a fragile global supply chain of chip manufacturing that’s concentrated in Asia.Amid this environment, China’s increasingly combative stance against Taiwan—along with its massive domestic investment into chipmaking—is a key risk to the security of America’s chip supply.The worsening global computer chip shortage has been destructive to several industries and hurt consumer pocketbooks.While some U.S. automakers saw output disrupted late last year due to chip shortages; more recently, they have resumed production, just without certain “smart” features that require such chips. The domino effect is a lower supply of...

China’s industrial sector is suffering from a severe shortage of semiconductor chips, following U.S. sanctions and other supply problems, which is seriously slowing down the country’s manufacturing capacity. Recently, Tsinghua University announced the establishment of a new school that would help solve the country’s chip shortage problem, as Chinese leaders promote a Marxist approach to speed up chip production. But experts say China has a long way to go. On April 22, Tsinghua University in Beijing announced the establishment of the School of Integrated Circuits that would help China build up its own chip market and cut its reliance on...

TAIPEI—Taiwan said on Wednesday its chip companies will adhere to U.S. rules after Washington added seven Chinese supercomputing entities last week to an economic blacklist and after a Taipei-based chipmaker halted orders from one of the entities named. The U.S. Commerce Department said the seven Chinese entities were “involved with building supercomputers used by China’s military actors, its destabilizing military modernization efforts, and/or weapons of mass destruction programs.” Companies or others listed on the U.S. Entity List are required to apply for licenses from the Commerce Department that face tough scrutiny when they seek permission to receive items from U.S....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior White House officials will meet on Monday with top executives from nearly 20 major companies to discuss a global semiconductor shortage that has roiled the automotive industry and technology firms. The White House meeting is billed as the “CEO Summit on Semiconductor and Supply Chain Resilience” and will include White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. As of midday Friday, 19 major companies had agreed to send executives, including General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra, Ford Motor Chief Executive Jim Farley and Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV CEO Carlos Tavares. Deese...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The chip shortages slowing car production are a symptom of broader increased demand that is placing strains on suppliers across the semiconductor sector, according to Dutch equipment maker ASML. One of ASML’s top executives said that higher demand for most types of computer chips — including those considered one step below cutting edge — looks stronger and more permanent than most players in the industry, including ASML, had expected when the coronavirus pandemic began. “I think all over the place…the demand to our customers — so the semiconductor manufacturers — I would say that all over the...

China has put all its “chips” into China’s fledgling semiconductor industry.Many companies are charging into the semiconductor industry. The trend, with the encouragement of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is occurring because of pressure from the Trump administration to cut off Chinese technology companies from U.S. chips.But this latest chip rush may also create vast inefficiencies, divert local resources into wasteful ventures, and usher in a 21st-century version of the “Great Leap Forward”—the disastrous 1950s plan by Mao Zedong to surpass the West in steel production that resulted in mass famine and economic despair.The need to invest in indigenous semiconductor...

Tracking chip of some sort hidden inside a surgical mask. Click here to watch 44 sec video => https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/hmm-whats-this-chip-hidden-inside-my-mask-from-china/

Executives of Chinese companies which produce chips — vital in every device that stores data from computers to mobile phones to barcode scanners — are increasingly worried their industry is next on the Trump sanctions hit list, also after widespread reports that Beijing plans to in desperation ramp up its lagging domestic semiconductor development over the next decade as continued outside access to the most advanced chips looks increasingly in doubt. Some are speaking out, attempting to make crystal clear to Washington that they are not puppets of either the Chinese state or PLA military. The country's largest and...

According iTWire, two of the world's largest mobile phone vendors, Samsung and Huawei, are discussing a possible agreement in which Samsung will assist Huawei by providing advanced chips required by 5G networks. In return, Samsung will take some of Huawei's global mobile phone market share. With about 600,000 5G base station contracts, it is evident that Huawei is more focused on its telecommunications equipment business. In contrast, Samsung is dependent on its mobile phone business; the deal, therefore, makes sense and benefits both parties. The US has announced a new set of restrictions (details of which are to be announced...

(Reuters) - Intel Corp sold its smartphone modem chip business to Apple Inc at “a multi-billion dollar loss,” the U.S. chipmaker said in a court filing on Friday, alleging that rival Qualcomm Inc forced it out of the market. Intel made the claims in a brief filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where Qualcomm is seeking to overturn a sweeping antitrust decision against it after losing a lawsuit by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Intel, whose executives testified at the trial, argued on Friday that the ruling should stand. Appeal proceedings are expected to begin in January....

It is a risky bet for US President Donald Trump’s administration to push for building advanced semiconductor factories in the US due to growing fears about the US’ heavy reliance on Asia for chip supply and potential disruptions from uncontrollable factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The US government is in discussions with chipmakers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), to build new fabs in the US to create a self-sufficiency in chips, the latest in a slew of Trump’s renewed “Make in the US” efforts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Even before the pandemic, the US had...