Explained: The unbelievably complex process of making semiconductor chips
The news of Foxconn-Vedanta's $19.5 billion semiconductor deal falling apart may be a temporary setback for India, striving to achieve its vision of becoming a major global hub in semiconductor manufacturing over the next decade. However, catching up with the global majors and setting up infrastructure may need more than a robust ecosystem, especially since it comes in the face of deteriorating demand for chips, particularly high-end, as the global economy contracts. Making the chips is an unbelievably complex and specialised process
Curated By: Madhu Kapparath
China, meanwhile, has been casting billions at the semiconductor problem with limited success. Its largest chipmaker SMIC cut off from advanced chip tech due to US sanctions, trails years behind Taiwanese companies in the best chip it can produce. US export controls on Chinese semiconductors have entirely ruined the chip industry, sparking mass bankruptcy in which thousands of companies shut down their business. Then there is Wuhan Hongxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which turned out to be a $20 billion scam perpetrated by tricksters without industry experience.
