What’s at stake?
Big funding, no matter in what country, attracts lobbyists galore, while politicians and corporate executives jockey for pieces of the action. China’s experience in this feeding frenzy ended in the collapse of Tsinghua Unigroup and the tarnished reputation of its “Big Fund.” There are lessons here as the United States considers how to oversee, divvy up and execute the CHIPS Act.
Last weekend, a handful of Muskovite vigilantes used their children as guinea pigs to prove that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) functions are unlikely to mow down a small child crossing the road.
This dubious effort by amateur Tesla testers was triggered by a video clip posted on Twitter by Taylor Ogan, CEO of Snow Bull Capital, a technology hedge fund (see below). It showed a Tesla obliterating a child-size crash dummy on a test course.
Read More »Road Test Using ‘Live’ Kids Exposes AV Absurdity
To succeed as a viable manufacturer of semiconductors, a supply chain expert argues Intel Corp. should redirect resources from its chip R&D and design operations to instead focus on its foundry operations.
Read More »Intel Should Adopt Pure-Play Foundry Model
By George Leopold and Junko Yoshida
What’s at stake:
The latest outsourcing trend for technology companies includes turning over management of patent licensing to intellectual-property brokers. The deals are often based on revenue-sharing schemes. Some, like Intel, also argue the approach could eventually help reform a broken patent system.
What’s at stake?
As AV crashes on public roads pile up, public skepticism grows. The crisis the AV industry faces involves public safety, not public relations. Can any AV company prove—with evidence—how safe at this moment their vehicles are?
In signing landmark semiconductor legislation on Tuesday (Aug. 9), President Joe Biden highlighted corporate investments timed to coincide with passage of the Chips and Science Act that includes $52.7 billion in subsidies and tax incentives.
Read More »Signing CHIPS Act, Biden Touts Semiconductor Investments
By Bolaji Ojo
If Intel Corp. is to successfully complete its promised $200 billion-plus fab investment over the next decade it will need more than the $10 billion to $15 billion in seed funding analysts expect it to receive from the U.S. CHIPS Act passed recently by Congress.
Read More »Tough Questions for Intel CEO and Its Board
What’s at stake?
Unfilled positions at U.S. fabs will soon exceed 100,000 engineers and technicians. The labor shortfall has prompted a growing number of chipmakers and equipment vendors to focus their recruiting efforts on military veterans. The challenge is translating skills learned on the battlefield to the factory floor.
By Peter Clarke
Over the last few years, with strong IC demand exceeding supply, wafer fab operators have put the pedal to the metal with major capital expenditures.
Read More »Beware the Semiconductor ‘Bullwhip Effect’
What’s at stake?
The CHIPS Act has become law, fueled by the political will to shore up America’s manufacturing and technological edge to counter China. The pandemic-induced global chip shortage helped generate bipartisan support for the new legislation as both government and industry came to the realization that decades of offshoring might have been a mistake. But ultimately, the CHIPS Act will be deemed successful only if it broadens the pipeline of U.S.-educated EEs who are trained and ready to step into jobs at the promised domestic facilities.
