unfortunately chip foundries take years to set up (just filtering the air alone takes months), so it’s not really a solution - although china is attempting to do exactly this.
Sorry, I was perhaps unclear - China is and has been setting up chip foundaries regardless of the global memory prices, simply to have domestic production of those components. Production of memory modules during this period of AI ratfucking is just a happy bonus.
Yes because they have an autonomy incentive, but “our” (as in Western capitalism) incentives is solely on profit and profit is being done, therefore we will never solve this because in fact there’s no problem. We are being mocked by all these PC parts suppliers.
The fact it runs on profit is not the deciding factor in this case. If the RAM manufacturers had more capacity, they would profit even more. The main problem is that those factories are huge investments that you would need to commit until the finish-line successfully without going bankrupt before you will be able to produce anything. China can take this risk because state funds and actual geopolitical justifications. Western countries can say to themselves too easily that they can keep buying it from Asia, which causes no countries or investors to want to commit to a similar project.
More or less, though they recently bought their way in to a domestic EUV foundry so their coveting of TSMC will likely reduce in the near future as that comes online.
Why filter the air at all? Why not just turn the clean room into a vacuum? No air contaminants since there’s no air. All the stuff in there looks to be automated anyway.
I have no idea how silicon fabs work so this probably isn’t realistic.
Many reasons! The enormous building imploding is probably the big one, but risks from cold welding, use of atmospheric cooling, relying on exposure to atmosphere for many steps in the process, etc. are all additional factors. It’s a good question though.
And then naturally expanding. I mean we talk about all these hypotheticals but at a certain price range, impractical turns practical. If you cannot convince any big chip makers to make your thing and people will pay 2x for your thing, then getting together with smaller manufacturing starts to make sense.
I dunno im just a small maker person. Made my own laptop from parts and all that. I see this as a potential opportunity.
Sure. A hobbyist with the right equipment can make technically functional memory as a scientific curiosity. But making any memory module that is as powerful as anything that’s come out in the last twenty years is going to require millions of dollars in investment and years of effort combining the work of thousands.
Oh nice ill take a look! We have a 10k pick and place machine over at a local makerspace and ive thought about prefab chips before. Just for fun, but its still a bit of money.
unfortunately chip foundries take years to set up (just filtering the air alone takes months), so it’s not really a solution - although china is attempting to do exactly this.
"It’s hard work and it takes too long. China is trying to do it "
2 years later and after China has done it, “why are the chinese taking the lead on all of this? we should be doing things more like China.”
Sorry, I was perhaps unclear - China is and has been setting up chip foundaries regardless of the global memory prices, simply to have domestic production of those components. Production of memory modules during this period of AI ratfucking is just a happy bonus.
Yes because they have an autonomy incentive, but “our” (as in Western capitalism) incentives is solely on profit and profit is being done, therefore we will never solve this because in fact there’s no problem. We are being mocked by all these PC parts suppliers.
The fact it runs on profit is not the deciding factor in this case. If the RAM manufacturers had more capacity, they would profit even more. The main problem is that those factories are huge investments that you would need to commit until the finish-line successfully without going bankrupt before you will be able to produce anything. China can take this risk because state funds and actual geopolitical justifications. Western countries can say to themselves too easily that they can keep buying it from Asia, which causes no countries or investors to want to commit to a similar project.
I don’t think you’re wrong, I’m just not sure how it relates to what I said.
But they really wanted to shit on capitalism regardless of context.
What’s weird is that capitalism should be driving others to set up fabs because it is so profitable.
I mean fair enough I suppose. It’s almost like capitalism doesn’t quite work like how it says it does in the advertising… sigh.
Haven’t they been drooling over Taiwan’s tech and foundries for years now?
More or less, though they recently bought their way in to a domestic EUV foundry so their coveting of TSMC will likely reduce in the near future as that comes online.
Why filter the air at all? Why not just turn the clean room into a vacuum? No air contaminants since there’s no air. All the stuff in there looks to be automated anyway.
I have no idea how silicon fabs work so this probably isn’t realistic.
Many reasons! The enormous building imploding is probably the big one, but risks from cold welding, use of atmospheric cooling, relying on exposure to atmosphere for many steps in the process, etc. are all additional factors. It’s a good question though.
Just put them in space, that way they’ll be right next to all the datacenters that Musk will be building there. It’s much more convenient!
Interestingly they’re also doing that, too. At least, if you uncritically accept the popsci reporting about it like musk probably did
I can just see makers starting to do small scale projects such as https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ddr5/russian-enthusiasts-are-building-their-own-ddr5-ram-amidst-the-worldwide-shortage-as-easy-as-sourcing-your-own-memory-modules-and-soldering-them-on-empty-pcbs
And then naturally expanding. I mean we talk about all these hypotheticals but at a certain price range, impractical turns practical. If you cannot convince any big chip makers to make your thing and people will pay 2x for your thing, then getting together with smaller manufacturing starts to make sense.
I dunno im just a small maker person. Made my own laptop from parts and all that. I see this as a potential opportunity.
You still need the chipmaker to make you the memory module, assembly is not the problem
There is a guy on YouTube doing it and making videos about the process. He turned his shed into a clean room lol.
https://youtu.be/h6GWikWlAQA
Sure. A hobbyist with the right equipment can make technically functional memory as a scientific curiosity. But making any memory module that is as powerful as anything that’s come out in the last twenty years is going to require millions of dollars in investment and years of effort combining the work of thousands.
Oh nice ill take a look! We have a 10k pick and place machine over at a local makerspace and ive thought about prefab chips before. Just for fun, but its still a bit of money.