HardwareThe world’s largest chipmaker could flip a kill switch and remotely disable its machines in the event of an invasionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareThe world’s largest chipmaker could flip a kill switch and remotely disable its machines in the event of an invasionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd)
Citing people close to the matter,Bloomberg reportsboth TSMC and ASML have ways to disable the lithographic machines located in Taiwan. This kill switch would be able to be remotely activated, should such a drastic action ever be required.
Officials from the US government have reportedly spoken to both companies about what might happen in the event of an invasion, with ASML reassuring officials it was able to stop the machines from falling into the wrong hands.
The switch applies to the latest EUV machines out of ASML. These are also some of the most complicated, expensive, and sizable chip-making machines around today. The machines themselves have taken years to develop, and even longer to actually implement, though are now responsible for producing the most intricate and powerful computer chips today.
EUV machines demand highly trained specialists, components, resources and more in order to function properly. It’s extremely unlikely these machines could function anywhere near as effectively as they do today when disconnected from large parts of the world’s economy, if that were to be the case. Yet this is all planning for hypothetical situations, nothing is certain.
Concerns over Taiwan’s national security are what have ultimately led to increased spending in chip-making facilities in the US and Europe. TheCHIPS Act in the UShas agreed to pay huge sums to today’s largest chip-making companies, including TSMC, Intel, and Samsung, in order to attract fab facilities to be built, maintained, and expanded on US soil. It seems to be working, too.
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