The Past and the Future

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

TSMC (Taiwanese Semi-conductor Manufacturing Company) is the largest chip maker in the world.  They have been worried about China taking over Taiwan so they purchased 1,200 acres in the desert in North Phoenix.  (A couple of miles directly south of the Ben Avery Shooting Facility where EOT is held.)  Before Biden was elected and before the "Chip Bill" was passed to encourage chip production in the U.S. the plant was started and paid for with private money.  Yet a couple of months ago Biden was out at the site claiming credit.  At any rate this is a huge project.  It stretches for well over a mile near the junction of Interstate 17 and highway 303.  I took this photo with an Iphone from a couple of miles away on my way back from shooting a round of trap at Ben Avery so it is poor quality.  The big red crane in the center is the largest moveable crane in the U.S.   It is huge but it is hard to visualize the size from a photo.

 

 

All the land for miles around is now being sold and will no doubt be used for housing, schools and shopping for the thousands of employees.  Many of which will be coming from Taiwan.

 

Lots of OLD desert fixtures are now gone.  There was a small airport near the plant site that for decades had glider rides as an attraction.  It is gone.  Just across the road was the Canyon Raceway.  It too is now gone with the only thing left being a sign.  

 

 

Right across the road in the picture is the Wild Horse West.  It is the only remaining business in the area and it has been sold and will close down by the end of the year.  Great place with a simple menu - hamburgers.  I have lived in the area since the mid-1960s and all of these businesses were lonely outposts in the desert long before I moved in.  The roads were dirt but since they were close to Lake Pleasant they had a steady flow of traffic.  The only thing left, and it is on the same road as the Glider Port and Canyon Raceway, is Cowtown.  Fortunately Cowtown is at the end of the road, is in a floodplain and the cost for lead abatement will hopefully scare off any developers.

 

 

 

 

The plant being built will by itself make the U.S. the pre-eminent chip maker it the world and it is only phase I of four phases.  They are hiring English teachers to teach the employees English.  It will be interesting to see if China will actually allow the equipment and employees to be moved from Taiwan to the U.S.

 

 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Good move, bringing the manufacture of chips to North America. I had serious reservations about offshore manufacture of the product.

Now, to bring back the other strategic material.

 

[Pat Riot]

I have a feeling if Brandon is sticking his nose there…know what? Never mind. FJB!

 

 

[Yul Lose]

Hope they get it done in time. 

[Rip Snorter]

The Big Guy must want his cut.  FJB

[Eyesa Horg]

He's likely already collecting it.

[Lone Spur Jake SASS #7728]

I've met Democrats who believe that FJB means "FREE JELLY BEANS!!"

The "Zombies" walk among us and are allowed to vote, and worst of all have babies.  

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I wonder with all the development in the area how will it affect Ben Avery since it’s so close? I hope they don’t get squeezed out!!!

[Sixgun Seamus]

I believe Ben Avery is also some sort of wildlife preserve. The Arizona State Fish and Game headquarters is also there. I don't think it would affect the range. A pretty good size gas station/convenience store is being built just down the road from the Wild Horse. Currently there is nothing else out there but I'm sure that will change.

[Dantankerous]

What Pat said.

[Sedalia Dave]

None of the equipment used in creating the wafers for IC manufacturing is made in China.

 

Dutch company ASML is the leading lithography technology pioneer and is primary manufacturer of the machines that are used to create chip wafers.  

 

If Europe were to quit selling lithography machines to China it would cripple their ability to manufacture  the super high density wafers used in the current generation ICs. These machines are impossible to reverse engineer as the technology used to make the machines is a closely guarded industry secret.