[cherryteastain]

They had a large memory manufacturer, Infineon, who spun out their memory division as Qimonda which then went bankrupt [1]. They were the 2nd largest in the world at one time apparently. Looking back, it's easy to say the German govt should have thrown them a billion or two to keep them afloat. However, state intervention was very unpopular at the time in economic circles, and there was much furor over bailouts following the 2008 crisis.

Japan has an even sadder story. They were the DRAM top dog for a very long time. South Korea entirely ate their lunch.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qimonda

[paulmist]

Even better, Qimonda was ultimately bought (alongside all their patents) by SMIC [1] who is now the Chinese memory player. For 30 million.

[1] https://newsletter.semianalysis.com/p/chinas-cxmt-is-set-to-...

[cherioo]

It’s CXMT (memory) not SMIC (logic)

[stogot]

Wow, 7000 patents and all their IP and documentation

[est31]

Infineon still exists as a semiconductor manufacturer. Their stock has gone crazy since start of the year as well.

[rfw300]

Germany’s austerity policy after 2008 may be one of the largest economic blunders in history. It would be one thing if they merely committed self-harm, but they also used their pull in the EU to drag the rest of the continent down with them.

Reminded of Matt Yglesias’s excellent headline from 2010: Angela Merkel Lucky the Bar for “Worst German Leader” is Very High

[kakacik]

One thing that I will never understand - how can german population not see through all that socialist bullshit she produced, promises undelivered, how much long term harm she generated across whole Europe (not just EU). Hard push for (now visibly) failed immigration at all costs, nuclear energy rollback (and she was nuclear physicist at least by her studies) and subsequent buying of foreign coal-based electricity, fragmentation of EU.

She literally licked putin's boots well into Ukraine war and still thinks licking his ass is the correct course to solve war in Ukraine (which started 2014 and it was pretty nasty already back then, the world just didn't care also thanks to her).

She is by far the biggest catastrophe modern Europe encountered after Hitler. She helped remove any proper fighting chance for the top dog Europe had for 21st century. She singlehandedly caused proper hate against EU in large parts of (not only) eastern EU population, and hence the rise of populist left or right wing politicians whose whole success story was just point at her failings and criticize, enough to get 20-30% of the votes and even win elections, repeatedly. She literally made people like Orban or Fico.

She still admits no mistakes, even wants to become german president. How effin' out of touch with reality she is.

[dtoma]

> all that socialist bullshit she produced

... what? How's that the first thing that comes to mind about her, before "neoliberal", "conservative", or "austerity"? For that matter, when has the CDU ever been anywhere near socialist, in Germany or in the EU parliament?

100% agree we're still dealing with the fallout from her policies though.

[tonyhart7]

okay, that is going too far

she has its flaws but remember that people vote for her, so its not only her fault

[kakacik]

Yes people voted for her, she is still very popular. Doesn't change anything I said about her negative impact on entire continent that is extremely visible.

Maybe she did tons of good so it somehow averages out, but I certainly haven't heard about it (now is your time to defend her), everybody saw consequences of her disastrous policies that affected entire bloc.

[tonyhart7]

its only hindsight, most people at those time didn't really foreseen the outcome later

[kakacik]

This is untrue, entire eastern EU screamed like crazy against such immigration when she started importing immigrants en masse, "wir schaffen das". France faced the same with entire communities from Maghreb, most didn't work, 0 integration even after a generation or two spent in Europe, they knew language only if it was also their native one. Nobody in the east wanted that, entire political blocs before elections formed on opposing this and other fun EU moves (remember banning regular lightbulbs without good-enough LED replacements in entire EU market? Pepperidge Farm remembers... Or cutting down most of Borneo ancient rainforest to have effin' EU-subsidized bio fuels that ruin car engines quicker? Same story, I know this is EU but Germany is by far the strongest voice in and these are typical merkel moves - big moves regardless of consequences and picking up pieces later).

East had no prior experience with migrants due to living for decades in effectively prison camp guarded by soviets, no travel or other exposition to other ways of life. We were very monolithic cultures (and still mostly are).

The voices were completely ignored and overruled by behemoths like Britain, France and most powerful voice in the bloc - Germany.

Don't revision past, I lived through it, saw masses of people getting absolutely mad pissed off and feeling helpless and unheard with arguments which over time proved them mostly correct.

I don't hold those opinions myself, some of our best friends are muslim immigrants but oh boy go to the eastern EU without camera and ask random folks on the street outside capitals, or just listen to them. Or look at election results, this gave russians and their constant influence very good arguments since they position themselves as 'guardians of traditional family values in society', regardless of how its true or not (clue - its not but thats detail here).

[atwrk]

> Looking back, it's easy to say the German govt should have thrown them a billion or two to keep them afloat. However, state intervention was very unpopular at the time in economic circles, and there was much furor over bailouts following the 2008 crisis.

Absolutely, Germany essentially abandoned its position in industrial leadership solely due to neoliberal ideology. Just compare the trajectories of Germany and China in the last 20 years. One country planned and implemented a proper industrial policy, the other hummed and hawed about the infallibility of the market and thus essentially just gave up.

[ksec]

There were plenty of other DRAM manufacture before them as well. But the Boom and bust cycle wipe out those who weren't big enough or adequately prepared.

Nearly every single DRAM cycle we go through the same thing. People are saying memory are so cheap we are going to get 32GB/ 64GB / 128GB very soon. Just like they did 2-3 years before. Then every single DRAM up cycle they were earning insane amount of money, with this one being exceptionally high. Not only covering their previous lost but also extra profits. And every single time people cry out price fixing.

And every single time, Interviewer, financial reporters or share holders will ask TSMC's CEO Morris Chang the same question, and this is before TSMC was even well known in Tech cycle, will they make DRAM given it is just Fabs, TSMC could do it. And every single time in the past 20 - 30 years Morris had to explain the whole thing again.

Frankly speaking I have been rumpling about DRAM being commodity on HN for nearly 20 years. It is the first time I have seen a few comments finally picking this up as shown in the current top comment.

[whatever1]

I don’t remember any time in recent history where demand skyrocketed so fast and so far away from supply. In previous cycles you mostly had supply driven shortages (remember all the fires?).

Maybe crypto surge was the closest to what we observe today? But again completely different magnitudes of demand. No company put 1T of capex for mining