Semiconductors: Everything You Wanted to Know

This episode is all about semiconductors, their critical role in society, and the future’s dependency on them. Investors at NZS Capital and experts in the global technology industry, Jon Bathgate and Brinton Johns explain the major players in the semiconductor world, what’s important, how things work, the complications of geopolitics, and much more.
Show notes: fs.blog/knowledge-project/the...
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PODCAST INFO:
• Podcast website: fs.blog/knowledge-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3fz6u4X
• Spotify: spoti.fi/2SSgCvT
• RSS: theknowledgeproject.libsyn.co...
OUTLINE:
0:00 - Start
1:15 - Overview
2:58 - History of the Semiconductor Industry
5:27 - Value Chain
8:31 - TSMC Dominance
11:36 - Chinese Competition
13:47 - Lithography / extreme ultraviolet light and ASML
19:41 - Moore's Law
24:00 - Two Ways To Think of Moore's Law
25:20 - Competing Architectures and Key Players (x86)
28:14 - GPU
29:13 - NVIDIA and AMD
32:34 - GPU is more important than CPU
34:03 - Intel
38:13 - Geopolitical Factors / World War 3
45:37 - Taiwan
47:05 - Intel/Apple/Google Fabs
49:20 - Morris Chang / Texas Instruments / Rich Templeton
56:40 - US / China Chess Moves
SOCIAL:
• Instagram: / farnamstreet
• Twitter: / farnamstreet
• Shane Parrish: / shaneaparrish
• Facebook: / farnamstreet
• LinkedIn: / shane-parrish-050a2183
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#TheKnowledgeProject
#ShaneParrish
#Semiconductors

[@tkppodcast]

Here is the outline: 1:15 - Overview 2:58 - History of the Semiconductor Industry 5:27 - Value Chain 8:31 - TSMC Dominance 11:36 - Chinese Competition 13:47 - Lithography / extreme ultraviolet light and ASML 19:41 - Moore's Law 24:00 - Two Ways To Think of Moore's Law 25:20 - Competing Architectures and Key Players (x86) 28:14 - GPU 29:13 - NVIDIA and AMD 32:34 - GPU is more important than CPU 34:03 - Intel 38:13 - Geopolitical Factors / World War 3 45:37 - Taiwan 47:05 - Intel/Apple/Google Fabs 49:20 - Morris Chang / Texas Instruments / Rich Templeton 56:40 - US / China Chess Moves

[@jeffreygudewicz550]

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this podcast. I'm a career engineer / product developer in the RF and wireless industry for the past 28 years working in both fab and fabless companies. The subject mix of history, technology and geopolitical was fascinating. I just wanted to request that you do more deep dive subject matter topics like this one! AI would be great to see you analyze. Keep up the great work!

[@manjindersingh3243]

You can watch this over again and again and still end up learning something new every time.

[@lukeandreychuk2376]

Thanks for this release Shane. Perhaps the greatest innovation of the past 50 years in which 99% of people aren’t aware of its existence.

[@mkaszel]

This was a fantastic podcast. I hope you keep doing such deep dives in such an informative way.

[@Villgaxx07]

Thanks so much Shane! Please never stop educating us. Really appreciate your content

[@lazareherzi]

Really outstanding episode Shane. I learned so much about the industry and have so much more respect for the geopolitical complexities involved :)

[@krishnadv5360]

awesome podcast Shane. This had a great mix of tech and geopolitics.

[@tommarquez1980]

Thank you Shane! I had no idea about the complexities of the semi conductor industry. Could you make an episode about rare earths and jet engines???

[@mystikkrap]

Brilliant podcast! I can't believe how much semi conductors get overlooked when talking about technology.

[@bharatarora1987]

One of the best videos i have seen in a while!

[@giaxxone]

This was great! I have no idea who you or your guests are, but after typing “who manufactures semiconductors?” in search, this popped up and I’m glad it did. This knowledgeable insight went far beyond what I expected to find and touched on most of what prompted my search in the first place. Top notch stuff.

[@hariminabala]

This was superb !

[@shaquesbeer]

This was absolutely fascinating! Thank you for such an informative and insightful conversation. I’ve listened to almost every TKP and this may be one of my favorites up there with Naval and Jim Collins.

[@robertyeo9070]

Quality podcast. Thank you.

[@billflynn133]

Interesting competitive thought experiment between China and the US. It sounded similar to mutually assured destruction between US and USSR in the second half of last century. It seems that such vital technology and science would benefit the planet in the long run and be accelerated if the sides worked together. I think there was a missed opportunity to have a similar collaborative thought experiment as a counterpoint.

[@maksiu11]

Bill, I think you're missing the point. The main motivation behind technological progress is not when everybody on Earth agrees and work collectively. This is what is called utopia.

[@smarikabista6792]

Awesome!! Thank you for this podcast!

[@MsPatruska]

Excellent content! Thanks.

[@sjiromeo]

This is gold. Need more of such deep dives.

[@tkppodcast]

We've got 100+!

[@shaquesbeer]

Loved the deep dive and putting the significance of semiconductors into context. Would love to see a similar conversation around climate change, stakeholder capitalism and the B Corp movement.

[@mallikarjunajs9878]

This was a mind-blowing interview.

[@smileyblair3321]

Literally the best I've ever listened to. No second place or third comes close. Great job everyone

[@tkppodcast]

Thanks 🤝

[@andrejzizek4290]

So interesting. Thank you!

[@stanislausthurnundtaxis7339]

Great episode

[@Xyz19781i]

this is brilliant. awesome.

[@adeolusunmade1359]

This was so good.

[@davidoconnor7538]

Outstanding! Wish I had watched it a year ago!

[@manuelpariente2288]

Amazing podcast! I wanna keep diving! Any recommandations for follow up podcasts, posts or books?

[@FrankSpeno]

Superb Shane

[@ameeshbhandari5163]

Great podcast

[@frncscbtncrt]

Can you please do a 2023 edition?

[@clemenswittmann4852]

great podcast, although I felt quite a large bias towards nvidia and intel, and a complete dissonance of what amd has been trying to achieve/achieved with their chiplet design. The implications of being able to scale core counts so easily seemed to have been completely ignored.

[@do_regan]

Yeah these guys have really drank the green (and blue) Kool-Aid. They understand the industry pretty well from a 10,000 foot view, but were a bit off on more than a few competitive dynamics between AMD vs. INTC vs. NVDA.

[@chibaxi1982]

I would like to ask. Now that it seems that China is cut off from the critical suppliers.. How are they going to develop their semicon sector to catch up with the west?

[@pallakirm]

For some reason de auto caption subtitles are doing it to Vietnamese

[@user-fn2oy1rq5p]

Interesting part starts at 14:00

[@jinbeifishman6102]

PLEASE ADD ENGLISH TRANSLATION TOO. THANK YOU.

[@TheRealChrisBeard]

Wow I never knew Morris was Texas Instruments before tsmc

[@crysisgoty]

EUV is @ 13.5nm

[@abelmedina7879]

14:00, 28:00

[@shogun7p7]

Man this is horrifying...Semiconductors are incredibly vulnerable

[@gibbogle]

I think Parrish draws the wrong conclusion, in implying that the US needs to have complete industrial independence. Interdependence is a good thing, because of Mutually Assured Destruction. Eliminating interdependence is dangerous.

[@MrChassmith]

1+1+1+1 = “blue” ... “where the hell did that come from ???” 😂😂😂

[@MrChassmith]

We have no comment on the current administration but someone there really understands the leverage points vs. China: PETER NAVARRO

[@oldlifter530]

Blow your mind go listen to Dr Jack Kruse talk about semiconductors.

[@augmiester123]

Shane loves to say the word "capital"

[@tkppodcast]

capital.

[@BLUDGEEER]

almost as much as FABBBING

[@maksiu11]

Commenting on Morris Chang and trying to frame him into Western lenses it is simply false- you need to keep a geopolitics perspective. Taiwan placed all-in bet in having their huge part of GDP as investment becoming their life insurance (against China). Today we call it a "semiconductor shield" - such a semi production dominance that no one would dare to destroy and avoid global supply chain destruction. He was(is) a genius but let's keep his role in the right perspective- without Taiwanese govt understanding of the importance of the industry his name would be unknown to us till this day

[@AmitKumar-tg7of]

What these guys are saying about Tsmc today Was true about Intel a couple decades back Intel got disrupted - make no mistake Tsmc will be too (one day, when I cannot predict)

[@sonnyjohnson8887]

could the next big thing be " smart glasses "🤷🏼‍♂️

[@kvlprasad]

india is your best bet.

[@fhthecat7898]

Interesting topic, but could have been condensed in to 5 minutes. Too much bla bla, even when watching on 1.5 speed.

[@ramonarice3717]

The magenta dime behaviourally offend because ghost potentially buzz amongst a diligent latex. longing, puzzling alcohol

[@mikefixac]

Sorry to criticize, but John's got some serious vocal fry.

[@Felicidade101]

please stop using "fabbing" it means something very different here on the internet 😂