Chips: What ASML, TSMC Can Do If China Invades Taiwan

ASML and TSMC have ways to disable the world’s most sophisticated chipmaking machines in the event that China invades Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter. Tom Mackenzie and Francine Lacqua report on Bloomberg Television.
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[@francisltx]

This guy is saying that the chips in the misiles are more sophisticated than those in a Huawei Phone, Come on man....

[@chrisck3405]

that shows how many idiots there are in this world. oh yes, my wall fan also uses 2nm chips.

[@x0Kamix0x]

So what you're also saying is that if China invades Taiwan, the US will no longer have access to top-of-the-line chips after enacting a scorched earth policy? Considering China has their homegrown efforts, would China not be at an advantage if that were to happen?

[@naturalisedhker7953]

This is probably an obvious question but does the PLA actually need such advanced chips for their missile guided systems? I saw a Singaporean engineer talking about how you don’t need the advanced chips for missiles because there is enough room in a missile for ample power sources and multiple chips for faster processing. Saying China wants the chips for warfare is misleading. They want to chips to compete with the US in consumer technology. China wants to move up the value chain.

[@iowanation1034]

Wouldn't you need a network to do this.

[@yongchen8204]

the same question what if china stop purchasing imports 40% of world manfacturing chips every year, what is going to the chip manufacturing and its suppliers in the world?

[@aimedia9020]

Already happening. ASML yesterday signed an agreement to sell 450 lithography machines to China for OLDER chips. That's still where the money is. only about 3% is about these new chips USA is trying to prevent.

[@PonziZombieKiller]

Bidenomics we already have that solved the chip act and Aye Eye we all good.

[@junaidisalam5718]

question, out 193 countries in the U N, how many of them RECOGNIZED taiwan as a country?

[@manishgrg639]

forget others Murica along with its dogs themselves don't recognize Diewan as a country

[@Peter-ox8lj]

zero

[@rogertseng6874]

12

[@badbadbadcat]

No major country including USA recognizes Taiwan as a country

[@ssuwandi3240]

Just Democrats

[@samanthajones4877]

If China is able to survive and even thrive today without TSMC, why would they “need” to invade Taiwan for TSMC? Also, do people forget that mainland wanted to reunite with Taiwan before the existence of TSMC? Anyone getting tired of being fed propaganda after propaganda yet?

[@EbuzzNYC]

There's no "REUNITE" since Taiwan was never part of the Chinese Communist Party, this was a dream of dictator Mao and now followed by Winnie the Xi. Taiwan is Taiwan, China is China.

[@LS-ex9nn]

That's exactly why China is putting the invasion as their top priority, especially when you balance the population of 1.3 trillion people with as little as 0.017 trillions, and for more than 70 years of staying clam to the existence of Republic of China in Taiwan.

[@briantep458]

because TSMC exists mainly to benefit the United States

[@1ndragunawan]

That's false, China still buys a lot of TSMC chips.

[@samanthajones4877]

@@1ndragunawan how is this possible when the US bans TSMC from selling anything to China?

[@haniahannslew4108]

This guy just told us that do not buy US products or any EU products because just like Gina Raimondo said the US government can access to the back door and turn off switch. Got it. LOL 😂

[@kwphone9735]

Y'all missing the point of China and Taiwan issue. China does not care about the semiconductors on Taiwan, it just doesn't want an Independent Taiwan hosting a US base off its shores. It would be an unsinkable aircraft carrier and poses a threat to China security. If Taiwan ever declared independence China would not waste men and invade, it would just send pinpoint strikes onto the FABS. Even a small break in containment and dust would make the FABS completely unusable.

[@magicsmurfy]

The white people do not have the intelligence to under stand that. Even Vietnam, Thailand, Singaporean know about it. Japan and Koreans are clever too, they also get it but they are afraid of their brother (aka the USA). I laugh so hard when people in the US telling me that China wanted Taiwan becoz of those Taiwan chips.

[@mukamuka0]

Possible but improbable. Doing that will trigged extreme response from Allied while not actually harm Allied military capability. It's not like stop Fabs from working will make fighter jet fall from the sky.

[@klexypuncher6963]

Agree. Even before Taiwan is known to produce chips, China always have been claiming Taiwan.. so dunno what is this narrative of China is aimi g for chips

[@megatron6393]

Care to tell us what weed you have been smoking?

[@samanthajones4877]

@@megatron6393nothing to do with smoking and has everything to do with knowing the history between mainland China and Taiwan.

[@muhammadomar2954]

Another example that proves that nothing should be purchased from Western companies. We already knew that they were remotely shutting down western-origin CNC machines and wind power plants in Russia via GPS connection. Additionally, if these CNC machines are moved from their current location to another location or cannot connect to the main center, they shut down themselves.

[@TenebrusI07]

Too bad for the orks all the high end manufacturing equipment is made by the western world.

[@j562gee0hdeewestsdegethemuLa]

The machines are constantly spying and have a self destruct mode

[@CxDubxU]

The US has a way to disable them as well. Missles

[@milosnestorovic1594]

Everything Depend of Policy, Complete...

[@JA-pn4ji]

And China has ways to jam (like Russia) any signals going in or out of Taiwan.

[@vlhc4642]

Why would China do that? If anything they'd try to spoof the signal so TSMC gets killed and America gets the blame, win win.

[@iLumberjack]

Can't jam fiber optics on the sea floor.

[@vlhc4642]

@@iLumberjack You can do far better than jam undersea fiber optics

[@muudcatt9541]

By making this knowledge public you have essentially left China with only one choice, which is to make it's own EUV no matter the costs.

[@LanNguyen-vd4zt]

Oh okay. While you at it, built me a castle in the sky with fairy and angel.

[@muudcatt9541]

@@LanNguyen-vd4zt This is your best effort?

[@aimedia9020]

ACtually no. The Chinese are FAR smarter than that. China is dumping ELECTRONICS completely and moving to PHOTONICS. And yes, they own the IP.

[@LanNguyen-vd4zt]

@@muudcatt9541 because it’s a dream if you think China can built EUV which they don’t have the technology or even one on hand. They can’t even built the DUV lithography machine and they have several on hands. They have to spend over $100 billions From 2020 through the early part of 2023 buying and hoarding chip from TSMC and Qualcomm and parts to replace the DUV lithography machine, because of the impending 2023 sanction.

[@LanNguyen-vd4zt]

@@muudcatt9541 because it’s a dream. China companies (SMIC) cannot even replicate the DUV lithography machine and they have them on hand. And you think they can make an EUV lithography which they do not have one.

[@Jen-xg3iq]

I hope you don't accidently press the button LOL

[@mgronich948]

What this means is that the CIA can disable the EUV machines if it decides that Intel needs some help competiting with TSMC. Alternatively it means cyber criminals can blackmail TSMC for billions once they find the back door installed by ASML.

[@louistan7560]

They should know better not to take bad advice. They know where their future lies, and it is not in the West.

[@Andy_ID]

In 2023, they said China would invade Taiwan in 2024. Now they have revised it to 2027. They will probably revise it again to 2030. And in 2030, they will likely revise it again to 2033. And again and again.

[@thefourthrabbit9516]

In the meantime, weapons manufacturers are swimming in Taiwan tax-payers money.

[@yongchen8204]

every years, these political lobbyists and punidits are predicting china is going to invade this year or the next for the last 20 years, sames goes with the china economic collapse. either the intelligence community got fake data or the politicians and journalistic community are accepting consipracy theory without using their own brains. 5 years wrong diagnosis is bad, 20 years misprediction is fatal!

[@ssuwandi3240]

Exactly the carrot dangling Think Tanks!

[@user-kl8ur1tx3l]

@@DannyDT846 Ukraine is 17 times larger than Taiwan.

[@antihypocrisy8978]

The Pentagon needs to justify its spending.

[@nmew6926]

Singapore has purchased exclusively overpriced US military hardware which can be disabled remotely. Now they are under threat if they diversify away from US purchase.

[@TechLiberator]

Time to invade. lol

[@nikguitarocphone2505]

Intel will gain a lot 🎉🎉🎉

[@z123462075]

its not going to invade.

[@gmcxm211]

All they have to do is to move those machines out of Twain to Japan or elsewhere. No doubt China wants the economy of Twain move some of the industry out of Twain, it lowers the need to invade. (Hopefully)

[@yeoweehuathuat8926]

Anyone can make chip !

[@mandelni]

They can shut down what they want but the fact is china’s SMiC has already created successfully 3nm chips 😂😂and 5nm is already in max production so it’s completely pointless to shut down those machines 😅 and SMiC is already the number 3 semiconductor industry in the world. 😂

[@jarrodyuki7081]

miltiary eocnocmis and cultural

[@gamearena9519]

Overestimating the important of the chips. China already have very high tech chips and it will take just one or two years that china will be at the same place

[@TenebrusI07]

China can't even figure out DUV. They're going nowhere.

[@timloo6191]

What a damn joke! As if china only care about chips. Gosh! Wilder should just recognise

[@MRT-co1sd]

It’s western brainwashing their citizens. They are preparing the minds of the next shipment of soldiers to be taken to the Far East as willing soldiers.

[@jbranche8024]

I'm sure the switch to disable these machines are the most complicated and time consuming to replicate. Could be software/hardware or both. Think having a body but No brain to operate it.

[@jacksmith-mu3ee]

Taiwan is part of China

[@zsarimaxim692]

Of course there is a kill switch in ASML machine, so does Boeing aircraft, or that Bell helicopter.

[@jarrodyuki7081]

8 pills a day until may 31 and then four pills a day until july 4

[@hankmoody7521]

Europe should just ban exports on these machines. If TSMC, Intel or Samsung want to produce latest chip designs, come and invest in Europe.

[@user-kl8ur1tx3l]

Europe lacks sufficient electricity, and energy prices are too high.

[@hankmoody7521]

@@user-kl8ur1tx3l the US and Taiwan are lacking technology and are not considering co2 emissions for chip production... Taiwan is running on 90% and South Korea on 50%+ fossil energies. No wonder, electricity prices are that low.

[@rollbin]

So back door control by US, 😂

[@mariajiao4855]

Haha

[@bharatichaudhari]

May be in future complications create between them, China n US

[@thiritung5331]

Taiwan will return to the arms of the motherland without any imposed constraints: Same country, same people, same roots, same blood, same culture and traditions. And same sense of belonging. No impact on TSMC, which will remain one of China's suppliers

[@PonziZombieKiller]

LMFAO. Sure they can... omfg

[@valetudo1569]

Umm yes? And this isn't a new discovery or secret. China would absolutely not be able to invade Taiwan and takeover the TSMC manufacturing as it needs constant software updates and tweaks not only from ASML but also the US...Not to mention replacement parts. This is actually a nothing burger because its been known forever

[@jacksmith-mu3ee]

Taiwan is part of China

[@codejunki567]

Lol yes it's called explosives

[@windcold4532]

This shows how ignorant the West is about China. China's unification of Taiwan has never been because of TSMC This is related to the dignity of the country and the nation

[@billmichaels4941]

This reporter carries water for the biden administration in plain sight.

[@meriliu8688]

CCP:"I have stolen their technologies so this moves are useless! 🤣"

[@magicsmurfy]

You know there are over 2 million Taiwanese in Mainland China, and most of them are in senior leadership teams. u dont need to invade Taiwan to get the tech, just treat the engineers well and their families (all going to International school, about US$50k a year per kid, man). You cannot steal the American 4G tech to make 5G in China. It's like me stealing your girlfriend but you are gay.

[@jacksmith-mu3ee]

Whether Taiwan is an independent country or not is already settled With UN resolution 2758! In 1979, 2758 ruled that PRC mainland China is the only legitimate representative of China As of now 2758 still valid and the only one that counts! It has more than 1 80 countries J support superseding any other treaties documents & agreements! When 180+ countries speak, J it is final: Taiwan belongs to PRC mainland China. Abide by it! If you or KMT/DDP can't accept 2758, leave Taiwan & exile to other countries! You can even exile to the moon, nobody will miss you. It is PRC mainland China's Taiwan, not Taiwanese/KMT/DDP's Taiwan!

[@vlhc4642]

Oh you're so close. Its not exactly useless, pushing it will destroy the entire US tech industry overnight, which is quite useful for China.

[@jarrodyuki7081]

asml tsmc zeiss and nvidia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Peter-ox8lj]

nice propaganda as usual

[@MRT-co1sd]

Brainwashing their next shipment of soldiers to be shipped to the Far East

[@davidsault9698]

The kill switch may not be enough if it is reversible. More details are needed about what they consider a "kill switch." Is it just a shutdown switch of some kind? If so, then there would be world pressure to turn the machines back on or repair them eventually after a China takeover of Taiwan. Only the permanent destruction of the machines would have the desired effect of depriving the Chinese of the most advanced chip production and taking over and making the world absolutely dependent on them for advanced chips, and, eventually, any chips.

[@jacksmith-mu3ee]

😂Whether Taiwan is an independent country or not is already settled With UN resolution 2758! In 1979, 2758 ruled that PRC mainland China is the only legitimate representative of China As of now 2758 still valid and the only one that counts! It has more than 1 80 countries J support superseding any other treaties documents & agreements! When 180+ countries speak, J it is final: Taiwan belongs to PRC mainland China. Abide by it! If you or KMT/DDP can't accept 2758, leave Taiwan & exile to other countries! You can even exile to the moon, nobody will miss you. It is PRC mainland China's Taiwan, not Taiwanese/KMT/DDP's Taiwan!

[@vlhc4642]

China has SMIC and already at prototype stage for their own EUV, they're already producing the most advanced chips, infact they're the only country on earth that does not need TSMC. China doesn't need to control TSMC to make the world dependant on them for chips, what China need is TSMC out of the way, either via a missile, or a kill switch. This kill switch is practically an "I win" button for China, it instantly kills all western tech industry while leaving China the only survivor. Its like putting on a suicide bomber vest in your own living room.

[@TenebrusI07]

It takes very little to destroy these machines. Regardless without ASML's support making chips would be impossible.

[@vlhc4642]

@@TenebrusI07 The issue isn't how easily it is to destroy these machines, the issue is how does the west arrive at the conclude that it's a good thing for the one piece of equipment that their entire economy and military relies on be easily destroyed.

[@willeisinga2089]

What If Propaganda.😢😢😢😅

[@ArabicReja973]

It doesn't matter how many times the Chinese regime repeats the *lies,* - Taiwan 🇹🇼 is still an independent country.

[@cowholy3031]

Kashmir is Pakistani territory.

[@ibrahimtouman2279]

Bot

[@cwaddle]

What lies??

[@junaidisalam5718]

what a joke... even your master recognized taiwan as PART OF CHINA...

[@ezekielkrawere9593]

Taiwan is a province of China.