@logonaut.eth

Saeed Ghasseminejad is an unabashed hawk on Iran and a top advisor and economist at Washington-based Israeli cutout the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). That doesn't mean his angst about Taiwan is irrational — from a U.S./Israel vantage point, at least. The "spice" must flow, whether it's hydrocarbons or the advanced silicon that underpins the information economy ... ❝Taiwan—a small island of 35,980 square kilometers and separated from the Chinese mainland by the Taiwan Strait—has emerged as one of the leaders in the global semiconductor industry, which earned it the nickname of “the Silicon Island.” In 2021, Taiwan captured an estimated 10 percent of total value created in the global semiconductor industry. It accounted for roughly 21 percent of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity, including 92 percent of manufacturing capacity for the most advanced chips. Taiwan has achieved this prominent role primarily through its foundries—providing contract manufacturing services to other companies. Taiwan is home to four of the world’s top ten foundries, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the largest foundry in the world. They jointly accounted for nearly 70 percent of global foundry revenue in the first quarter of 2023.❞

1 reply

0 recast

5 reactions