But TSMC vows to continue making chips on the mainland:
The U.S. has decided to revoke its special allowance for TSMC to export advanced chipmaking tools from the U.S. to its Fab 16 in Nanjing, China, by the end of the year. The decision will force the company's American suppliers to get individual government approvals for future shipments. If approvals are not granted on time, this could could affect the plant's operations.
Until now, TSMC benefited from a general approval system — enabled by its validated end-user (VEU) status with the U.S. government — that allowed routine shipments of tools produced by American companies like Applied Materials, KLA, and LAM Research without delay. Once the rule change takes effect, any covered tool, spare part, or chemical sent to the site will need to pass a separate U.S. export review, which will be made with a presumption of denial.
"TSMC has received notification from the U.S. government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing will be revoked effective December 31, 2025," a statement by TSMC sent to Tom's Hardware reads. "While we are evaluating the situation and taking appropriate measures, including communicating with the U.S. government, we remain fully committed to ensuring the uninterrupted operation of TSMC Nanjing."
TSMC currently operates two fabs in China: a 200-mm Fab 10 in Shanghai, and a 300-mm Fab 16 in Nanjing. The 200-mm fab produces chips on legacy process technologies (such as 150nm and less advanced) and flies below the U.S. government's radar. By contrast, the 300-mm semiconductor production facility makes a variety of chips (e.g., automotive chips, 5G RF components, consumer SoCs, etc.) on TSMC's 12nm FinFET, 16nm FinFET, and 28nm-class production nodes and logic technologies of 16nm and below are restricted by the U.S. government even though they debuted about 10 years ago.
[...] One of the ways for TSMC to keep its Fab 16 in Nanjing running without U.S. equipment is to replace some of the tools it imports from the U.S. with similar equipment produced in China. However, it is unclear whether it is possible, particularly for lithography.
[...] In a normal situation, TSMC would likely resist such disruption, especially for legacy nodes meant to be cost-effective, but it may be forced to switch at least some of its tools even despite the fact that it cannot fully replace American and European tools at its Fab 16 in China.
[...] If TSMC is forced to halt or drastically reduce output at its Nanjing Fab 16, the ripple effects would be favorable to Chinese foundries like SMIC and Hua Hong as China-based customers will have to reallocate their production to SMIC (which offers 14nm and 28nm) or HuaHong (which has a 28nm node), which will boost their utilization and balance sheet (assuming of course they have enough capacity).
Furthermore, a forced TSMC slowdown in China will validate People's Republic's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency, which could mean increased subsidies for chipmakers and tool makers.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday September 05, @03:36AM (4 children)
This article is a blatant attempt to frame actual situation.
Huawei makes Kirin on SMIC 7nm since 2023. That's close enough to TSMC's 6nm on Taiwan.
So, blocking TSMC from extending 12-16nm production in Nanjing is at most a partial brake on China's advancement in deployment, at the direct cost of TSMC's income.
Seems more like an ephemeral punisment for Intel decline caused by TSMC than an effective strategic step. In long term, it surely boosts Chinese electronic industry even more.
TSMC will survive that, though losing some pace of growth.
I'd say U.S. Government has no real strategy about anything, other than beating everyone around.
China already reached full digital sovereignty in current year. Up to August 2025, 170 000 humanoid robots were sold just to civilian sector. To me, that's plenty of chips...
Rust programming language offends both my Intelligence and my Spirit.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by driverless on Friday September 05, @07:28AM
Yup, that pretty much sums it up. And that's not how you use your position as preferred drug supplier (technology dealer), you string your customers along and use that as a means of control. If you pull their drug supply entirely it just spurs them to move to alternative suppliers or create the stuff in-house, at which point you've lost any control you had over them.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday September 05, @08:49AM (1 child)
+Informative, even if it lacks linkies to support the assertions.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Saturday September 06, @01:09AM
Sorry, I was a bit wrong.
That was, some popular E-Town Robot Consumption Festival in Beijing, 2.-17. August 2025
My number 170 000 was from July, valid before this festival. I am slow.
For current industrial robots market Fair,
I do not provide links because for typical S/N crowd, it's too much decoherence of their established worldview.
Some more topics to look for: "Robot Mall", "robot 4S store", International Federation of Robotics
Rust programming language offends both my Intelligence and my Spirit.
(Score: 2) by Username on Friday September 05, @04:53PM
The way I see it, tsmc bought or was given land in the US, and brought their equipment and processes from good china to the US, to start production. Now they want to move the equipment to another location, in the bad part of china.
The article implies all the equipment was designed or created in America, which I highly doubt, and doesn't make sense. Why would we even need tsmc to come to the US if that was the case?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by FuzzyTheBear on Friday September 05, @07:27AM (7 children)
Abandon the USA and everything American , grow your own and let the US bathe and swim in the cesspool it's creating daily with Trump. Nothing good is coming out of the USA anymore. It's sinking into irrelevance and that's ok. They voted for this. Let em have it and feel the full maga effect. If Americans were doing something about Trump and tried to get rid of him that would be a different story , they ain't. They're sitting on their couches , eating frozen pizzas ,drinking their cheap beers and watching the tube. The day they rise against Trump things will be different but for now, they deserve what they get.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday September 05, @08:55AM (6 children)
Abandon USofA [newrepublic.com] (but don't forget the let the American manners, or the lack thereof, behind).
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday September 05, @10:08AM (5 children)
Thanks for that link. Being in France we are seeing more Americans arriving to start a new life than at any time in the past.
My only word of warning though, don't arrive in another country and expect it to be like the one that you have just left. The way and pace of life here is very different. The culture is different. You won't change it, and those who try will find it hard to integrate. But there is so much to enjoy if you make the effort. Welcome the differences.
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday September 05, @10:18AM (1 child)
I hope (and it's likely so) those who arrive are young and maybe w/ family.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Friday September 05, @03:53PM
I don't have actual figures, but yes some American families have arrived (and the children learn the language VERY quickly) and we have some retirees too. There are also single people who have decided that they are still young enough to do something different. There are also lots of very big companies with different specialisations and functions worldwide - in many cases the common business language tends to be English.
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DadaDoofy on Friday September 05, @03:14PM (2 children)
"don't arrive in another country and expect it to be like the one that you have just left. The way and pace of life here is very different. The culture is different. You won't change it"
Yeah, we had similar thoughts here in the US, only it didn't turn out that way. When a country is flooded with immigrants, there is a profound effect on its culture, traditions and values, especially in a small country like France. Don't believe me? Take a look at the disaster the UK has become.
The really sad part is, once these things are lost, it will incredibly difficult to make France great again. Without the likes of a once-in-a-lifetime charismatic leader, chances are slim to none that could ever happen. I do send my condolences and wish the French people the best of luck in their new county.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by janrinok on Friday September 05, @03:47PM (1 child)
You forget that I am British, and I return to the UK frequently. Don't believe everything that you read in the MSM. There are towns and areas where immigrants tend to group. That is only natural because they share the same tastes in food, culture, and language. But that happens in every country where there are groups of immigrants gathered. It is true that when they are involved in crime it tends to get amplified again as a problem with immigrants, where in fact people of all nationalities are committing similar crimes elsewhere in the country. Of course, the MSM wants to sell 'news', and the more they can spin a story to sell more then the better it is for their profits, so that is exactly what they do.
Indian and Chinese cuisine are very popular in the UK. We wouldn't have those restaurants, nor would we be able to buy many of the ingredients, had it not been for various immigrant communities that have arrived in Britain. We also have Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, Estonia, Latvian and I suspect many more different communities. Each brings some of their own culture and traditions. Here in France I can find a significant British community, but that is not what I look for here in France. I want to enjoy the French culture and meet French people. I have been made welcome. My late wife was French.
In the UK and in France I have been welcomed by Muslim communities. They haven't tried to convert me or convince me to follow the same path that they wish to follow. But they have fed me as a guest, I have been welcomed to their weddings and their funerals, and I have been treated as a friend. If you treat them as 'foreigners' or as lesser people than oneself then they will respond in kind. But approach them as a friend, ignore the colour of their skin and show a willingness to learn more about them as people, and they will treat you as well as you deserve.
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 09, @01:31AM
Sure but if the Muslims get in power and you end up under Sharia law, the same people who fed you as a guest will be happy for the State to maim or execute you for your sins:
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-beliefs-about-sharia/ [pewresearch.org]
See the part "Penalty for Converting to Another Faith" and the chart. There is a big variation, but do consider the chart in light of which countries the Muslims are in power and which countries they aren't.
Go look thoroughly at how things work and have worked in the countries they left. Even if you exclude the periods where the US and their allies have messed up their countries, it's not that rosy when you see what happened to their minorities.
The popular forms of Islam don't allow much questioning of those in power.
The Muslims are cheering, riding the bus to the Glorious Caliphate and when they arrive at the driver's version of the Glorious Caliphate the passengers suddenly decide they prefer to be in UK/France/Germany. And then when they finally get to UK/France/Germany too many of them want to turn those places into the Glorious Caliphate. 🤣
(Score: 5, Funny) by Lester on Friday September 05, @02:32PM
Trump is doing that to help China to mature.
Trump saw that giving advanced technology was hindering China research. From now on China, will have to wake up and some day China technology will be on the same level as USA and Trump will be proud of China.