“The major geopolitical significance has been to show that it is possible to completely design [without] U.S. technology and still produce a product that may not be quite as good as cutting edge Western models, but is still quite capable.” Miller says a considerable gap remains between SMIC’s capabilities and those of TSMC, the industry leader that produces the newest chips for companies like Apple.
Wasn’t it inevitable though, if so?
Western companies have been essentially training the Chinese for a few decades now, so yes, it basically has been inevitable.
Semiconductor manufacturing is a hell of a nut to crack. There was always a risk that China would eventually crack it, but I don’t think anyone expected it to happen within a year of the ban.
@1bluepixel @Ubermeisters
I worry about Taiwan.
One of the things that deters the nationalist hawks in the Chinese government is that they (and the world economy) depend on a functioning Taiwanese chip industry…
It sure is a juicy goose if you are China, I’m sure.