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TSMC "Protector of the Sacred Mountain": once resisted the trip to the outlying islands that changed faces
Since TSMC announced that it would stop manufacturing Kirin chips for Huawei, Huawei mobile phones have fallen into an embarrassing situation that cannot be manufactured by self-research, and the problem of 5G imports is coming. This move has caused dissatisfaction among many netizens, especially friends in the mainland, who have issued a verbal criticism of TSMC's behavior.
Although TSMC's founder Zhang Zhongmou has become an American citizen, as a Taiwanese entrepreneur born in the mainland, why is he so killer of Huawei?
Now, with the United States, Japan and the Netherlands working together to develop new semiconductor restrictions and crackdown plans, the prospects for China's semiconductor industry are even more worrying. However, it is worth noting that there is a chip giant TSMC in Taiwan, and if it is willing to lend a hand, the situation of the domestic semiconductor industry may be able to improve. However, the reality is cruel, although TSMC is nominally a Taiwanese enterprise, it has always been very active in sanctions and suppression of Huawei.
The "Sacred Mountain of Protectors" couldn't help himself
As a representative of Taiwan's highly industrialized region, TSMC has always been a proud banner of the Taiwan authorities. Known as the "Sacred Mountain of Protecting the Country", TSMC has made a significant contribution to Taiwan's economy, accounting for about 10% of Taiwan's GDP. However, this "sacred mountain" also brings many hidden worries.
The first problem is resource occupancy. Taiwan has limited resources, the semiconductor industry accounts for more than 20% of GDP, over-reliance on the semiconductor field has led to the development of other industries is limited, and Taiwan's industrial structure has gradually become deformed.
Secondly, TSMC's employment pull is limited, and the semiconductor industry has little pulling effect on domestic demand, which is inconsistent with the characteristics of Taiwan's economy that is highly dependent on consumption. Finally, 80% of TSMC's shares are held by foreign capital, and local residents hold only 20%, which makes most of the profits go to foreign countries.
In contrast, TSMC's decision to build a factory in Nanjing, the mainland, was more sensible. The mainland has not deprived TSMC of its core technology, and it has abundant hydropower resources and location advantages. If TSMC expands its production capacity to the mainland, it can not only optimize Taiwan's industrial structure, reduce the burden of resources, but also further develop the mainland market.
However, TSMC has followed the footsteps of the United States and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party in trade policy, turning a deaf ear to the mainland's goodwill, and even stopped manufacturing chips for Huawei. TSMC founder Zhang Zhongmou even publicly expressed support for the US chip war and restricted the export of related technologies. He declared that mainland chip manufacturing technology will be more than 5 years behind TSMC and cannot be surpassed. Today, TSMC even uses technology as a bargaining chip to accelerate the establishment of production lines in the United States, and the out-and-out "sacred mountain of protecting the country" is actually leaving Taiwan.
Blocking before and chasing back, TSMC is in trouble
At one time, Zhang Zhongmou firmly said that TSMC's construction of factories in the United States would inevitably fail, but then, in the face of the US government's high semiconductor subsidy commitment, he quickly changed his face and said that he looked forward to building factories in the United States. Analyzing the changes behind this, one word is "profit".
TSMC's major customers such as Apple, Qualcomm and AMD are located in the United States, and building factories can serve these customers close to them and reduce trade risks. In addition, the US government's subsidy promises are an incentive for Zhang Zhongmou.
The amount of subsidy is directly proportional to the scale of the plant, which is undoubtedly the biggest factor Zhang Zhongmou considers.
At the same time, TSMC is also facing great pressure from competitors such as Intel. Intel has made rapid progress in chip process technology in recent years, and even competed fiercely with TSMC in orders. ASML focuses on the United States and European countries, giving priority to Intel with the latest lithography machines, which makes it more difficult for TSMC to obtain equipment.
At the same time, mainland semiconductor companies, represented by SMIC, continue to expand their production capacity in mature process fields, and their technical level is comparable to TSMC.
In this case, TSMC's share in the market is challenged, and it can no longer stand out with its technological superiority.
Today, TSMC is caught between front blocking and chasing back
, got bogged down. On the one hand, TSMC is facing the gradual rise of domestic semiconductor companies in the field of mature process chips, and its market share is constantly being eroded. Despite its dominance in the field of advanced processes, TSMC is not significantly ahead of its mainland competitors in terms of mature processes. Although there are still advantages in technology, TSMC is gradually constrained in terms of production capacity and market penetration.
On the other hand, TSMC also faces the challenge of technological progress when dealing with pressure from competitors such as Intel. Intel's rapid development in process technology has made TSMC's leading position in technology more vulnerable. This has forced TSMC to face an unprecedented competitive situation, and Intel's leading position in key equipment such as lithography machines has made it more difficult for TSMC to obtain production equipment.
For TSMC, the situation at this moment is actually blocked at both ends.
On the one hand, the competition in the domestic market is becoming more and more fierce, and the technological progress of mainland semiconductor companies in the field of mature processes cannot be ignored, and they are gradually narrowing the gap with TSMC. On the other hand, the competition in the international market is also extremely fierce, and the rapid rise of multinational giants such as Intel has made TSMC have to face more complex challenges.
The original decision on Huawei may have been a rational choice at the time, but as the situation evolved, TSMC's dilemma became more obvious. The former "sacred mountain to protect the country" is now in a dilemma in the scientific and technological war and market competition, and is facing a difficult situation at home and abroad.
Perhaps, when reviewing past decisions, TSMC will think a lot. Perhaps, they will reflect on whether the decision on Huawei is wise and whether it is really in their own long-term interests. In the current semiconductor industry landscape, any decision can have a profound impact in the future. TSMC may need to learn from this and weigh the pros and cons of each decision more carefully to meet the evolving challenges ahead.
In short, TSMC, as an important part of the semiconductor industry, is facing a severe test.