HPC News Bytes 20240408: Chips Ahoy! …and Quantum Error Rate Progress

A good April morning to you! Chips dominate the HPC-AI news landscape, which has become something of an industry commonplace of late, including: TSMC’s Arizona fab on schedule, the Dutch government makes a pitch to ASML, Intel foundry business’s losses, TSMC expands CoWoS capacity, SK hynix to investing in Indiana and Purdue, Quantinuum and Microsoft report 14,000 error-free instances

Reports: TSMC Advanced Chip Fab Back on Schedule in Arizona; Dutch Government Announces Support for ASML

A news report from a Chinese news outlet states that chip producer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) may have overcome earlier problems at its Arizona advanced-chip fabs….

HPC News Bytes 20240304: GPU Scarcity, Global Fab Capacity Boost, AI Hurdles and Singapore’s AI Training Strategy (Including Mid-Careerists)

A good March morning to you! Forthwith is a fast (5:51) run-though of recent HPC-AI news, including: The GPU shortage; HPE, Dell financial results, GPU allocations, new Intel fabs….

TSMC Opens JASM Chip Fab Subsidiary in Japan

KUMAMOTO, Japan, Feb. 24, 2024 – TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) held an opening ceremony for its majority-owned subsidiary Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, Inc. (JASM) in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, bringing together suppliers, customers, business partners, academia and the Japanese government to show appreciation for their continued support and the joint effort that led to the […]

Trillions for Chips: A Roiled Semiconductor Industry Strains to Meet AI Demand

We’re seeing the chip industry’s version of the scientific aphorism: “nature hates a vacuum.” The vacuum is the short supply of – and vast demand for – AI chips, and it’s roiling the semiconductor industry. Chip foundry companies TSMC, Intel and Samsung are straining to expand GPU fab capacity….

TSMC Opens Backend Fab 6 for Expansion of 3DFabric System Integration

HSINCHU, Taiwan, R.O.C, Jun. 8, 2023—TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) today announced the opening of its Advanced Backend Fab 6, the company’s first all-in-one automated advanced packaging and testing fab to realize 3DFabric integration of front-end to back-end process and testing services. The fab is prepared for mass production of TSMC-SoIC (System on Integrated Chips) […]

TSMC’s $40B US Investment: 4nm Fab Hitting Snags, 3nm Plant Construction Has Begun

(Editor’s Note: This story, originally published on Dec. 5, was updated on Dec. 6.) Pointing to high costs and a US skills shortage, Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC has reported challenges to the completion by next December of its new 4 nanometer semiconductor plant north of Phoenix, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 5. “The $12 billion Arizona semiconductor plant under construction that President Biden is visiting Tuesday represents U.S. hopes for a renaissance in manufacturing, but the Taiwanese company building it says it won’t be easy,” the Journal article stated. “High costs, lack of trained personnel and unexpected construction snags are among the issues cited by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.  as it rushes to get the north Phoenix factory ready to start production in December 2023.”

TSMC August 2022 Revenue Report

HSINCHU, Taiwan, R.O.C. – Sep. 8, 2022 – TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) today announced its net revenue for August 2022: On a consolidated basis, revenue for August 2022 was approximately NT$218.13 billion, an increase of 16.8 percent from July 2022 and an increase of 58.7 percent from August 2021. Revenue for January through August […]

Seeking a Piece of $50B CHIPS Act Funds? Commerce Department Launches ‘CHIPS.gov’

The U.S. Commerce Department announced yesterday the CHIPS.gov website that includes implementation information for the recently passed CHIPS and Science Act. The site is intended for organizations seeking funds from the $50 billion for manufacturing, research and development funds allocated by the bill. In addition, the White House announced an interagency CHIPS Implementation Steering Council. […]

Report: US Pressures Netherlands on Exports of ASML Chip Equipment to China

Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML’s wunderkind chip manufacturing technology has become embroiled in the technology trade war between the United States and China, according to a Bloomberg story.  The U.S. is pressuring officials in The Netherlands to block ASML from selling older deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) systems to China while also attempting to persuade Japan […]