US ordered TSMC, not Taiwan the country. The vast majority of sales are made to US based firms so they likely have a lot of sway.
US is the major customer of TSMC, so they can order them, not to mention we protect them with defense pacts, so they might want to actually listen. Pretty sure they make some of our military grade chips as well.
Cutting edge chips are used in cutting edge military hardware. TSMC provides a lot of the chips used in advanced American weapons. Turns out a faster chip in a missile makes the missile better able to make sophisticated split second decisions.
US can order most of its allies to do anything. Remember when the US thought Edward Snowden was on the Bolivian presidential airplane and within the span of like, half a hour, managed to get all of western europe to deny airspace to Bolivia, ground the literal presidential plane and search him like a dirty drug mule? Was pretty awkward after that when Snowden wasn’t even there.
[Cobbled from Reddit thread]
This is a pretty stupid thing to do. They’re guaranteeing chinese chip making.
China is already making chips though? What does this change??
Do they have anything below 28nm? With finfet or better?
Uhh do you think that stays the case forever? lol
I think you’re underestimating how impossible a task it is for China to hit a moving target. Even so, their move towards isolationism is at odds with an industry that has the most complex and globally integrated supply chain in existence.
Taiwan is the largest chip maker in the world. One of the reasons that China doesn’t invade is because they’re also dependent on Taiwan chips. Forcing china to double down on their local industry hinders Taiwan’s security. The US knows this. They’re escalating things in a very tense geopolitical area