4w ago

US reportedly forcing TSMC to buy 49% stake in Intel to secure tariff relief for Taiwan

www.notebookcheck.net Desperate measures to save Intel: US reportedly forcing TSMC to buy 49% stake in Intel to secure tariff relief for Taiwan

A new report out of Taiwan has revealed that the current US administration is tying the reduction on trade of trade tariffs on Taiwan to significant TSMC investment in the US. This investment includes a 49% stake in Intel.

Pure extortion

28 comments

I would think TSMC is in the drivers seat here. They could say "not interested in intel, thanks anyway. Tariff away if you want, but we are the only ones that can make the chips you want so you'll pay for it anyway".
TSMC could also counter threaten to close down the newly built TSMC fabs built in the USA as retaliation if new tariffs are put in place.
- Playing hardball with the US is suicidal high stakes. It can be done, but the alternative is to be taken over by China. The US will lose tremendously, but Taiwanese won't be happy either under The Poo's leadership.
  
  As of recently the US can’t be trusted at all either.
  
  Yeah it's just a dumbly high stakes game.
  TSMC is literally the shield that keeps Taiwan alive. An attack on TSMC foundries is an attack on the most critical supply chains of every western military in the world.
  There is no chance they would risk their entire nation and business by getting into that big a fight when there's a potential alternative, even if that alternative is subsidizing Intel's failures.
- TSMC Taiwan exists because China hasn't invaded Taiwan yet, and China hasn't invaded Taiwan because of the US. Trump is short-sighted enough to tell Taiwan to go fuck themselves and TSMC/Taiwan know it.
  That said, it is important for the US to not let Intel go under, despite how badly Intel fucked themselves. As that would leave TSMC as the only other major foundry, a foundry that might just explode one day if China decides to pull the trigger regardless. I wouldn't personally have forced TSMC to buy a large stake in Intel, but getting them to build more foundries in the US, which seems to be part of the deal, is a pretty solid outcome.
  (TSMC makes nVidia, AMD, and Apple chips. And yes Samsung foundries exist, but they aren't nearly as large of a player)
  Edit: expanded my thoughts out a bit more
  
  And yes Samsung foundries exist, but they aren't nearly as large of a player
  Or as tiny of one lol, pretty sure TSMC has them beat on die size
  
  Trump is short-sighted enough to tell Taiwan to go fuck themselves and TSMC/Taiwan know it.
  And if he does and china takes over taiwan, the US is 200% fucked. Now China can steal all if nvidia and AMDs trade secrets.
  They know ut and this is just all bark
- I tend to agree. I think the US might lean on ASML after that, but they could also tell the US to fuck off.
  
  I read that as ASMR at first. It amused me 😁

Wait, so they want to save Intel by getting a foreign cometitor buy them, instead of funding it appropriately themselves? That's a bold strategy.
- A foreign competitor about to be taken over militarily. China must om nom nom as all authoritarian empires must.
  
  What about ours, tho?

Gotta love that free market capitalism, all guided by the invisible hand of the market.

Or ignore it and let Americans pay higher prices. 20% while the floor for any other country in the world is 15% is almost the same. Also, it's not like you can purchase those chips from somewhere else.
Otherwise they risk doing like Fuji that spent millions to move production of some cameras back to Japan just to let TACO to change mind after a few weeks and get a similar tariff applied. End result: customers pay more
- It's pointless capitulating cause the syphilitic pedophilic rapist won't remember anything, without picture cards, and will change the terms anyway.

Lol they want $400 billion in investment in the US too. However, aside from that, I sort of wonder how buying Intel would work out for TSMC. They'd basically be buying a research wing + existing US foundries. The most important thing for them would probably be ensuring that the foundries and so on in Taiwan are the most advanced to avoid the US ditching them if the PRC decides to invade.
- Now that you point it out, this seems like a bad move purely on self-interest grounds, because as you said TSMC absolutely doesn't want state of the art manufacturing in the US.

Didnt have that on my 2025 world imploding bingo card.
oh Intel, how the mighty have fallen

TSMC is not a government entity, why is it a party in this negotiation (if you can call it that) between governments anyway?
- TSMC is the reason Taiwan still exists as a country separate from China. They are incredibly wrapped up in any geopolitics involving Taiwan.

What would that do to the stock btw?

Free markets and all that...

You ever known someone very capable and independent, get involved with an abusive and manipulative relationship? Just run, leave them and don't look back!

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