No to the US: Taiwan rules out relocating half of its chip production to America

[Porkous]

I think many of the statements in the article are more about grabbing headlines and stirring political debate than reflecting reality. The idea of simply moving TSMC’s success to the U.S. — or anywhere else outside Taiwan — doesn’t hold up. Taiwan’s unique work culture is one of extreme discipline and sacrifice, a system that has driven the company’s rise but also placed enormous pressure on its people.

Across much of Asia, similar patterns exist: long working hours, fierce competition, and intense educational demands. These factors have led to demographic challenges, including declining birth rates and youth burnout. Taiwan is no exception. Its workforce has shouldered the immense demands of running what is now the world’s most advanced chip manufacturer.

TSMC’s technology is often described as “alien” because of how far ahead it is — its ability to produce 3nm and soon 2nm chips places it years beyond most competitors. But this achievement comes at a steep cost: the well-being of its workers and the sustainability of its society. In a way, Taiwan’s survival strategy has been to endure this hardship, but over time, that very habit of overwork risks hollowing the nation from within.

(text polished by AI)

 

[captaincranky]

@Porkous In 3 days, I'll have been here for 20 years. Your post, whether "AI polished" or not", essentially states the obvious. Once upon a time, Foxconn's workers were killing themselves by jumping out of dormitory windows, for the very reasons you describe. And where is Foxconn? Well, it's in China. What did/do? they make. Well, iPhones of course.

And, once upon a time, Japanese workers were inspired, motivated, and dedicated, to the point where they did calisthenics as a group, (or rather "team"), before the work bell rang. This so they were warmed up and ready to compete and succeed on the world stage. No more jokes about, "made in Japan", would be acceptable to them. Now, Nikon cameras are made in Taiwan, in large part because their wages have increased to the point where the cameras would be "too expensive", if they were made in the homeland.

Such is the nature of capitalism, to maintain profitability, there's always a place, (we call them, "3rd world countries), with people willing to work 80 hour weeks for low pay, to get out of the rice paddy, or the sugarcane fields, or wherever, to (ostensibly), better their lives.

So every manufacturing culture eventually hits a wage/hour/working condition wall. The US has hit that wall seemingly ages ago. I joked years ago that TSMC would be in for a rude awakening when they tried to deal with US workers. And it happened, years ago. TSMC already has an operating fab in the US.

So why is it a big deal in the press now? Well, that's entirely political, as we have a monumental, delusional, a**hole as POTUS, infatuated with abusing his power, bullying the rest of the world, and making an a** out of the US and its people as a whole, worldwide

As for TSMC making "magic", AFAIK, the machines they make it with, still come from the Netherlands

And BTW, with the human population at 8+ billion, it's well past time for nature to dial our sperm motility down a bit.