Wednesday, August 23rd 2023
Micron Claims it Needs Government Funding to Develop New Fabs
According to Reuters, Micron has followed in Intel's footsteps and asked the US Government to pitch in to help the company build new fabs in Boise, Idaho and Clay, New York. The funds would be part of the CHIPS Act, which means Intel is going to have to fight for its share, since Pat Gelsinger is expecting Intel to get a bigger share than other companies. However, as Micron is also a US company, Intel will have less clout to convince politicians to favour it over the competition for the funds. The CHIPS Act has earmarked US$52.7 billion in subsidiaries for semiconductor production and research in the US.
Last September, Micron announced that it would be investing some US$15 billion in new facilities at its Idaho location by 2032, which the company claimed would create some 17,000 jobs by 2030 in the area. In October, the company went on to state that it would invest up to US$100 billion for the next 20 years in what Micron says will be the largest semiconductor production plant in the world at its Clay, New York location. However, now it looks like at least a sizable chunk of that money will come from the US taxpayers, rather than from Micron's own pocket. Time will tell how much each of the CHIPS Act applications will get, as if enough companies apply, the money might not go quite as far as some of these companies have hoped for.
Source:
Reuters
Last September, Micron announced that it would be investing some US$15 billion in new facilities at its Idaho location by 2032, which the company claimed would create some 17,000 jobs by 2030 in the area. In October, the company went on to state that it would invest up to US$100 billion for the next 20 years in what Micron says will be the largest semiconductor production plant in the world at its Clay, New York location. However, now it looks like at least a sizable chunk of that money will come from the US taxpayers, rather than from Micron's own pocket. Time will tell how much each of the CHIPS Act applications will get, as if enough companies apply, the money might not go quite as far as some of these companies have hoped for.
28 Comments on Micron Claims it Needs Government Funding to Develop New Fabs
What governments should be doing is building their own state-owned semiconductor fabrication plants. Then instead of paying public money to private chipmakers to bribe the latter into deigning to build fabs, the government puts those funds into its own fabs, and the private chipmakers either invest their own funds to compete, or lose marketshare and profit to the state-owned company.
But of course the "free(dumb) market" crowd will claim the above is communism, because apparently rigidly sticking to an ideology that very obviously isn't working is preferable to doing what's objectively best for their state.
Imagine you are Intel, you ask TSMC: "Hey TSMC, let me buy your 5nm technology then build a fab and compete with you!", how do you imagine the price will look like? Maybe you imagine US government can do espionage stuff and just steal technology like China?
TBH, I am not entirely against the idea of having a state-owned fab, but building a state-owned fab from the ground up is an extremely inefficient way of spending money.
A much more reasonable way of getting capacity is buy an existing company in financial trouble or not doing particularly well, then you invest remaining money to compete and do whatever public sector goal you want to do. For example, perhaps consider to purchase something like GloFo, give it a massive capital injection, and start from there?
Company like GloFo isn't state of the art, but building a state owned fab from ground up won't get you state of the art process neither, you have to take it step by step, there are little to no short cut, even if you are US government.
And if you still want state of the art in short to medium term without mass IP theft? Well, you do what CHIPs act do, you throw some cash out with strings, and get state of the art fab setup in your country.
All the billions of subsidies would be better spent in expanding the "Green Energy" grid. Which would not only be beneficial for the tech companies, but also for other companies, the public & the planet.
They should build out power/water/traffic infrastructure and try to look in to the long term future.
Offer neutral education and basic health care and keep things fair and safe for everyone.
Crap like building high end semiconductor fabs for commercial purposes doesn't work
Yes, this too is anything but efficient.
The only way this will pay off for the tax payer is if something happens on the other side of the pacific
Instead we're still doing the stupid and failed trickle down economics of giving companies handouts in return for hopes and dreams that somehow the investment cycles back and returns through higher employment and economic prosperity which just doesn't and never worked.
Just not high volume or commercial.
Military chips arent made at intel or tsmc.
GaAs chips were being fabbed 30 years ago, for example.
They may have cost 100 grand per chip, working or not, but Gov has very deep pockets, and secrets to stay secret ;)
Of course Micron is applying for aide that was announced years before they announced new plants. Of course they are competing with other fabs for that money.
Why all the conjecture and posturing other than to incite some stupid debate on subsidies? There’s no need for editorializing here, just post the Reuters piece or it’s equivalent rather than commenting, without any sources, about what you might think about a competition for funding.
Of course, the interesting debates are generally the off-topic ones, which means that as soon as actually interesting debate starts, you can almost guarantee that mods will shut the thread down for being off topic.
Just look at the former eastern block nations, it just doesn’t work.
there is no reason to innovate, there is no reason to streamline and work on production efficiency.
those nations went beyond broke.
we are seeing the same happening now, those esg pushing hedge funds that control 2/3 of the world economy are taking profits out of healthy companies and are stuffing it in to zombies that are playing by the rules they are setting even if those zombies are failing hard.
And just because it's a public service doesn't mean that the private sector cannot compete, nor that the public service shouldn't be held to reasonable private standards around giving the "shareholders" (the public) the best results it can.
my country belgium probably ahead of the pack in degradation.
Which really sucks for the elderly
Not everything government need be inefficient. Our unkillable post office is evidence of that.