[ThinkBeat]

Why would TSMC want to buy factories from Intel?

Intels plants are far from start of the art. Given their inability to compete and catch up with TSMC

[kyrra]

Lots of people still use older processor nodes. For example Groq[1] uses 14nm chips for their inference chips. Older fab tech is cheaper to use (less demand and higher yields). Most chips made are on older processes, it's only the bleeding-edge CPU/GPU chips that use bleeding-edge fab tech.

[1] https://groq.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GroqChip%E2%84%A...

[jabart]

I'm assuming TSMC has new and old lines. A 555 chip isn't done on the same line as an AMD Zen 5 chip. Permits, buildout, infrastructure, suppliers, you already get a big warehouse that makes chips and you can bring in your own people to optimize it on day one not year 4.

[edward28]

Intel has a couple of euv machines that tsmc could use and they could take Intel's current nodes and sell them as US made chips without threatening their own top nodes.

[nsteel]

Ignoring their newer fabs for a minute (which do exist), because there's still a load of money to be made on reliable older nodes.

This data is a couple years out of date now but it still shows how relevant older nodes are: https://stockdividendscreener.com/technology/semiconductor/t...

[suraci]

> Why would TSMC want to buy factories from Intel?

I think the reason is obvious...it has no choice

[hujun]

because Trump said TSMC is stealing US chip biz, and threaten 100% tariff [1]. I think this is TSMC's attempt to avoid tariff

[1]https://www.pcmag.com/news/trump-intel-was-great-until-taiwa...