2 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
SETH HALPERN's avatar

Okay, per your last point, here's a question I have trouble answering:

Right now a company in Taiwan produces almost the entire global supply of computer chips. (If only it were merely potato chips.) Taiwan is, of course, threatened by China, which would love to get its hands on those chips (and I bet it couldn't eat just one).

Should the US gov't (a) call China's bluff on Taiwan even if it risks war, (b) subsidize a US chip mfr even if it means spending loads more money and/or burdening Americans with higher prices on electronics while shutting Taiwan out, (c) scour the global landscape for chip start ups and pursue trade deals with the respective host countries, (d) all of the above, (e) none of the above, or (f) ?????

Expand full comment
R Mercer's avatar

A combination of these things (so D). In the real world you are not limited to doing one thing.

It is important to support Taiwan, for a number of reasons--not just chips;

It might be a REALLY good idea to have some chip manufacturing capability in-house and a government subsidy would be useful--the US could actually just build the factory, itself, and lease it to a manufacturer;

Work with or even create start ups in various locales to create more capacity in a variety of locations, again an overall good.

Expand full comment