Members phkrause Posted June 21, 2023 Members Share Posted June 21, 2023 Phoenix rising Major investments in computer-chip manufacturing, and electric and autonomous vehicles, have made Phoenix the overnight darling of America's innovation elite. Why it matters: The world is seeing what local leaders have spent the past half-century trying to prove — that the desert city can be a major player in global tech and manufacturing, write Jessica Boehm and Jeremy Duda of Axios Phoenix. State of play: Arizona has attracted more semiconductor investment since 2020 than any other U.S. state — driven mainly by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's $40 billion facilities in north Phoenix. Semiconductors are used in just about every electronic device, including electric and autonomous cars — fields in which Phoenix is also thriving. Waymo has been testing self-driving vehicles in metro Phoenix since 2017. It recently doubled its local ride-hailing service area to cover 180 square miles — the largest fully autonomous service area in the world. Five EV manufacturers have set up shop in Arizona since 2016. How it happened: Government and business leaders pledged to diversify Phoenix's construction-based economy after it collapsed during the 2008 housing crash. They formed the Arizona Commerce Authority, offered incentives and relaxed regulations to lure new companies. Flashback: Metro Phoenix was home to several U.S. Air Force and Navy training bases during World War II, which made it a natural fit for post-war military manufacturing. Motorola arrived in 1949, becoming the area's first semiconductor facility. Intel followed, opening its first fabrication plant in the area in 1980. For decades, the area has invited auto companies to test products. GM, Goodyear, Ford, Chrysler and others established proving grounds on the outskirts of town in the 1940s and 1950s. Many still exist and are now used to test electric and autonomous vehicles. 🥊 Reality check: Phoenix now faces big-city problems, including housing affordability and homelessness — plus the increasingly dire challenge of water security. Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted June 24, 2023 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2023 Chipmaker’s Scramble to Build Marred by Mistakes and Injuries TSMC’s $40 billion semiconductor facility in Phoenix, an open shop that resisted signing an agreement with labor unions, has been tainted with accidents, alleged wage theft, and costly setbacks. https://prospect.org/labor/2023-06-22-tsmc-semiconductor-factory-phoenix-accidents/? Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted August 24, 2023 Author Members Share Posted August 24, 2023 🦾 Tech's giddy whiff of 1995 Data: Yahoo Finance. Chart: Axios Visuals Chipmaker Nvidia's blowout earnings report late yesterday is a strong sign that we're still only at the starting gate of Silicon Valley's artificial intelligence boom, Axios managing editor Scott Rosenberg writes. Why it matters: The billions of dollars in cash that companies are laying out for Nvidia's AI chips show that there is more than stock speculation or vaporware products at play in the current frenzy. How it works: Winners in the earliest phases of tech growth cycles like this one are always the sellers of the raw hardware businesses need to build out capacity in new platforms. Flashback: In the mid-1990s, when every corporation in America suddenly realized they had to get onto the internet, there was only one company ready to supply, in bulk, the routers firms needed to connect. Cisco Systems made many fortunes. Today's hot commodity: Nvidia's AI chips, which are specialized processors that are fine-tuned to accelerate the calculations underlying ChatGPT and other generative AI applications. That has put the company at the white-hot center of AI investment, and left Nvidia with more demand than it can handle. "A new computing era has begun," Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said. "Companies worldwide are transitioning from general-purpose to accelerated computing and generative AI." 🧮 By the numbers: Nvidia reported $13.5 billion in revenue for its second quarter of 2023 — up 88% from the previous quarter, and well ahead of the $11.2 billion that analysts were expecting. Sales were more than double those from the same quarter a year ago. Doubling revenue isn't unheard of for growth companies. Doubling it at this scale is rarer. 🧠 Between the lines: The global race to stockpile Nvidia's AI chips has gotten a big boost from the Biden administration's sharp moves to keep advanced AI hardware out of China's hands. That has pushed Chinese firms to place $5 billion in orders from Nvidia this year, the Financial Times reports, including orders for a special AI chip designed to comply with new U.S. export restrictions. Other nations, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have also rushed to stockpile Nvidia chips to hedge against further U.S. limits. Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted January 22 Author Members Share Posted January 22 🦾 Altman seeks billions for chip factories OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is raising billions to set up a network of chip factories to manufacture semiconductors, Bloomberg reports: "Altman has had conversations with several large potential investors in the hopes of raising the vast sums needed for chip fabrication plants, or fabs, as they're known colloquially." Why it matters: Forecasts show the production of AI-related chips falling short of soaring demand, which could inhibit the technology's spread. Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted February 27 Author Members Share Posted February 27 🦾 Charted: Chip boom Data: YCharts. Chart: Axios Visuals AI chipmaker Nvidia topped $2 trillion in market cap on Friday, less than nine months after crossing the $1 trillion threshold. Why it matters: AI-drunk investors have bid up Nvidia, whose advanced chips power AI systems, to bubble-like levels, Axios managing editor Scott Rosenberg writes. How it happened: Nvidia's wild ride is propelled by demand for its graphics processors — which have turned out to be ideal not only for Bitcoin mining (which drove a previous wave of Nvidia mania), but also for the kind of number-crunching that ChatGPT and similar AI programs demand. ❗ Plot twist: The lead story of today's Wall Street Journal reports that the shift toward chips for deploying AI systems — "inference" work, as opposed to training — "threatens Nvidia's position because that work can be done with less-powerful and less-expensive chips." "Many rivals believe they have a better shot in the AI market as chips for inferencing become more important." Go deeper: Nvidia by the numbers. Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted April 15 Author Members Share Posted April 15 👢 Texas-sized chip investment Construction at Samsung Austin Semiconductor plant in Taylor, Texas, in November. Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman via Reuters President Biden this morning announced $6.4 billion in grants to Samsung for the South Korean company to expand chip production in the Austin area. Why it matters: The massive Biden-led investment in chip production aims to reduce dependence on China and Taiwan, and gives the administration a permanent legacy across the U.S. The preliminary agreement with the Commerce Department "will unleash over $40 billion in investment from Samsung, and cement central Texas's role as a state-of-the-art semiconductor ecosystem, creating at least 21,500 jobs and leveraging up to $40 million in CHIPS funding to train and develop the local workforce," the White House announcement says. The agreement includes an existing site in Austin and a new chip manufacturing hub nearby in Taylor, Texas. "Aside from manufacturing chips, Samsung will now construct a research and development facility in Taylor as well as an advanced factory for packaging them, the final step before semiconductors can be used in electronic systems," the N.Y. Times reports. Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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