TSMC won't disclose customer data to the US government

[nanoguy]

In context: The US government has asked chipmakers to be more transparent about what they do in an effort to expose bottlenecks in the supply chain. However, regulators are grasping at straws, as foundries are operating at full capacity and the only way to solve the current chip shortage is to build more manufacturing plants -- something that is already happening but will take years to fully materialize.

Last month, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said during a Reuters interview that it was time for the government to become more aggressive in dealing with the ongoing chip shortage that is having a large impact on many industries and directly affecting thousands of US workers.

Raimondo explained at the time the White House had sent a voluntary request for information to chipmakers in an effort to determine the bottlenecks in the supply chain and identify potential solutions to the challenges that lay ahead. She also warned that if companies don't answer the request, regulators are ready to use other tools to coerce them.

The problem is that foundries like TSMC don't yet know how to respond to this request, or even whether or not they can. The company was asked to disclose a variety of details about what types of products it makes for its clients, inventory levels, lead times, as well as its relationships with suppliers and clients, expansion plans, and how it allocates the available production capacity.

Sylvia Fang, who is TSMC's general counsel, told Nikkei "we will definitely not leak our company's sensitive information, especially that related to our customers." Fang said the company is currently evaluating the request to see how it may respond to it without compromising information that it deems confidential.

TSMC is already doing its best to help companies that have low levels of chip inventory, and it even prioritized chips for automakers to some degree. Earlier this week, TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said the situation is a lot more complex than it seems, and that some companies have been hoarding chips for months.

Image credit: Patrick Semansky | AP

As for increasing transparency, Fang says "customer trust is one of the key elements to our company's success," so the firm will be taking its time before it answers the US government's questionnaire. It also has the full support of the Taiwanese government, who is ready to step in "if our companies face unreasonable demands."

Companies that were sent the questionnaire have until November 8 to answer voluntarily. Even if they do, it's not clear how the US government intends to solve a problem that is the result of a storm of factors, including stratospheric demand for chips, an energy crunch in China and Covid lockdowns in Malaysia that have led to factory shutdowns, plus increased prices for raw materials like silicon and rare earth metals. And let's not forget about the fact that chipmakers can't find enough skilled workers right now.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/91657-tsmc-wont-disclose-customer-data-us-government.html

 

[Squid Surprise]

This isn't a matter of the US thinking they can solve the problem... it's about them APPEARING to try and solve the problem.

 

[Aceseven]

I dont know, maybe if we didnt shuttle work thats apparently needed for everything else to function to other countries we wouldnt be in this situation.

 

[fps4ever]

OK, I'm a US citizen but that is beyond stupid. Of course I wouldn't put it past the Biden administration do do something so utterly stupid.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Imagine that.
AMD may have to think about building fabs of their own sooner than later. Things might not end well for AMD if anything happens at TSMC.

 

[tacobravo]

The Biden admin is funny. Remember when they said they would be a transparent admin if the won and in reality they are not.

 

[Jack Deth]

The Biden admin is funny. Remember when they said they would be a transparent admin if the won and in reality they are not.

Not remotely transparent at all. Crooked as a barrel of snakes.

 

[Daniele 00]

" regulators are ready to use other tools to coerce them. " This is the american way you have to be so proud of.

" it's not clear how the US government intends to solve a problem that is the result of a storm of factors " . Easy, to coerce TSMC to privilege Usa companies to the detriment of the others . Have to be proud of.

 

[captaincranky]

Not remotely transparent at all. Crooked as a barrel of snakes.

Just for laughs, let's suppose the Biden administration managed to get video card prices somewhere near MSRP,. Would you be willing to stop running your yap here, and go play video games?

 

[captaincranky]

Not remotely transparent at all. Crooked as a barrel of snakes.

Hey, how about that 4th Arizona recount?

Whatshisname told his droogs he won Arizona. Why rant about "snakes in the grass", when you've got one right out in the open?

There's a world of difference between, "not being entirely transparent", and being an overt pathological liar. I'm sure you're not aware of that though. (Or rather, choose not to be).

 

[Bulllee]

I dont know, maybe if we didnt shuttle work thats apparently needed for everything else to function to other countries we wouldnt be in this situation.

It's the we bit that's gat me also.
I'm so old to remember when everything worth having was made in Hong Kong.

 

[captaincranky]

It's the we bit that's gat me also.
I'm so old to remember when everything worth having was made in Hong Kong.

Britain's 99 year lease ran out on Hong Kong. "There's a new sheriff in town".

Once upon a time, Hong Kong had the world's highest per capita income. (IIRC). I'm sure that's taken a step back, without the Union Jack as well.

FWIW, some of the best guitars in the world, were once made in Japan. But, I guess their craftsman finally got that "$15.00 an hour minimum wage passed", and now boyz and gurlz, most of Ibanez work is sent to Indonesia and China. Does any of this sound familiar? It should.

 

[captaincranky]

Easy, to coerce TSMC to privilege Usa companies to the detriment of the others . Have to be proud of.

I take it you're not from the US then?

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Totally unrelated to the topic, but that picture of Biden in the story.....

For some reason, all I can see are devil horns protruding from his forehead, right above both eyes, when his forehead wrinkles up like it does.

 

[lna2000]

Sure, give the bureaucrats more power to run someone else's business. They are in Government because they don't know how to work, they mostly have never run a business, they are there because they only seek power, influence and status.
A business giving info to the Government is only going to ruin the business.
This is also a text description of Fascism. From merriam-webster.com/dictionary /fascism#examples
a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

 

[captaincranky]

They are in Government because they don't know how to work, they mostly have never run a business,

How about if they've run a succession of "big businesses", only to have them fail, leaving creditors in the lurch, Does that count as "business experience"?

IMO, we're much better off with a "career politician". BTW, I think it was Truman that also failed at every other job he tried, before becoming POTUS. You might want to check that our, as I really didn't feel like doing any research just to humor you. Whoever that was. I don't think their "approval` ratings were all that high.

While it is true that threads at Techspot have often turned summarily political, .the situation seems much more dire and immediate, now that T**** is banned from Twitter. One might categorize that as a "migration" (of those individuals who might be categorized as whatever is directly to the posterior of the perenium).

Why don't you take a moment to explain how you feel about vaccination, having to wear a mask, Texas' new anti-abortion law, and "god", as more than a silly superstition.

By all means though, feel free to cherish your, "freedoms. You're free to not wear a mask and cough all over people after you've neglected to mention you've tested positive for covid. You\re also "free" to force a woman that doesn't want a child to keep it, and pay for her, "immorality".. You're also "free" to not believe the results of several election recounts, if some pathological liar tells you to.

Are there any more "freedoms" you're losing that you cherish?*/

As a matter of course, I feel it's more productive to examine the principals of propaganda, as opposed to mindlessly regurgitating random definitions of governmental principals and objectives.

For example, "repetition is a primary delivery vehicle of propaganda".

Sic: if you tell the same lie often and loud enough, people will start to believe it.

 

[psycros]

Sure, give the bureaucrats more power to run someone else's business. They are in Government because they don't know how to work, they mostly have never run a business, they are there because they only seek power, influence and status.
A business giving info to the Government is only going to ruin the business.
This is also a text description of Fascism. From merriam-webster.com/dictionary /fascism#examples
a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

Well, there is it - modern liberalism is fascism. Case closed.

 

[quadibloc]

I could easily have imagined Trump doing something like this. I'm saddened to see it coming from Biden, but I suppose he doesn't want to make it easy for Trump to argue that he isn't sticking up for American interests.

 

[fps4ever]

I could easily have imagined Trump doing something like this. I'm saddened to see it coming from Biden, but I suppose he doesn't want to make it easy for Trump to argue that he isn't sticking up for American interests.

Trump is a business man and knows the reality. Biden is a career politician and nothing we've seen his admin do says he is America first unless you count unconstitutional lock downs, forced vaccines and EO's.

 

[Danny101]

They sent out voluntary letters along with threatening coercion if no one is volunteering. Racketeering and extortion. You would almost think the mob is running the government.

 

[Daniele 00]

I take it you're not from the US then?

Yes I'm Italian. I have nothin agaist Usa citiziens.
But I have grow old enough and, sadly, I have learned from experience how Usa imposes its dominance on poorer countries. I'm referring to south/east Asia in particular, in which I have lived.

 

[captaincranky]

Yes I'm Italian. I have nothin agaist Usa citiziens.
But I have grow old enough and, sadly, I have learned from experience how Usa imposes its dominance on poorer countries. I'm referring to south/east Asia in particular, in which I have lived.

Here's to hoping that you received my response by email, before it was pulled for being, "off topic".