a/symmetric: An air-con maker turns to next-gen chips
March 16, 2024Gree’s new SiC wafer plant underlines the importance of compound semiconductors in China’s chip strategy.
The Week That’s Done: Persistent loopholes in US chip curbs
October 21, 2023Major semiconductor companies largely brush off Washington’s updated export restrictions. Russia wants to sell more gas to China, but Beijing plays hard to get. A major lithium takeover deal [...]
Deglobalization Round-Up: September 9
September 9, 2023China is set to launch a new state-backed semiconductor investment fund. Beijing bans central government officials from using iPhones at work, causing Apple shares to plummet. Corporate America still can’t quit China. And the return of just-in-time manufacturing?
The Week That’s Done: Global minerals grab, LNG turbulence
September 2, 2023China has bought half of the world’s biggest lithium assets put on the market since 2018, far more in value than Australia and the US combined. Meanwhile, extreme weather heightens LNG volatility, Huawei’s semiconductor teaser, and Germany’s economic struggles. Plus: energy market impacts from the coup in Gabon.
Deglobalization Round-Up: August 25
August 25, 2023Overseas investors flee the Chinese market, Arm’s prospectus spotlights its risky China relationship, Huawei is building a shadow chipmaking network, Russia extorts foreign firms some more, and a US-China science pact gets a six-month extension.
Deglobalization Round-Up: August 11
August 11, 2023Global law firm Dentons splits off its China unit, Russia freezes Goldman Sachs's assets, and supply chain costs are dropping—but they likely won't return to pre-Covid, pre-war levels. Plus: TSMC will build factory in Germany.
The Week That’s Done: US industrial base, chip sanctions loopholes
August 5, 2023Is US manufacturing booming or slowing down? The factory output index is on a contractionary streak, even as industrial companies give rosy outlooks. Meanwhile, oil giant Exxon wants to supply lithium, a rare earths processing partnership collapses, and Italy regrets joining Beijing’s Belt and Road.
The Week That’s Done: Huawei’s comeback, Volkswagen’s gamble
July 28, 2023Huawei will reportedly mass produce in-house designed 5G chips by the end of this year, highlighting the tech giant’s—and the broader Chinese industrial ecosystem’s— resilience against US sanctions. Meanwhile, [...]
Indium phosphide could be critical to China’s semiconductor ambitions
July 26, 2023Gallium and germanium have stolen the headlines. But indium phosphide warrants attention, too. China is eyeing the compound semiconductor material as an opportunity to shake off dependence on foreign semiconductor technology, and in turn a point of leverage over global semiconductor supply chains.
Deglobalization Round-Up: July 21
July 21, 2023HP is shifting production away from China, while AMD wants to rely less on TSMC. Meanwhile, Moscow seizes the assets of Danone and Carlsberg, a US Congress panel examines US VC deals with China, and lawmakers scrutinize the Ford-CATL tie-up. Plus, the rise and fall of Globocorp.
The Week That’s Done: China puts US companies on notice
July 2, 2023Beijing’s new laws increase the already high risks for foreign firms doing business in China—so will companies take the hint? Meanwhile, a US air conditioning startup partners with a Chinese battery giant, raising questions about potential commercial and potential risks.
The Week That’s Done: China bans Micron
May 28, 2023Big Oil is here to stay, for now—but it’s hedging its bets with investments in Big Shovel, while Big Auto wants minerals in spades. Meanwhile, Asia gobbles up Russian fuels, China bans Micron as Nvidia soars, and the US economy faces tough choices. Plus: How a drying Panama Canal could derail global LNG markets.
Deglobalization Round-Up: April 29
April 29, 2023Lego launches its first US manufacturing facility, Germany considers limiting export to China of chemicals used to produce semiconductors, and Aidan Madigan-Curtis of Eclipse Ventures argues that new technologies will fundamentally shift the landscape for American production.
The Week That’s Done: Taiwan’s drought threatens semiconductor supply
March 26, 2023Is biotech the new semiconductor industry? Big Pharma hopes the answer is yes. Plus: Russia's path to become a Chinese “resource colony,” resurgence in offshore oil and gas, drought in Taiwan threatens semiconductor production, and what's actually up with China's domestic Covid vaccine?
Toward Racial Equity in Industry: How the CHIPS and Science Act Can Fuel Inclusive Investment
March 13, 2023In the first Modern Manufacturer column, the Urban Manufacturing Alliance talked with Michelle Burris, Fellow at The Century Foundation about portions of the CHIPS and Science Act designed to provide support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Deglobalization Round-Up: February 25
February 25, 2023The Kyocera president says that China is "no longer viable" as the world's factory, as developments in rare earths and semiconductors underscore the point. Plus, China looks further to shore up dependencies on chips, foreign auditors and the US sets up a "Disruptive Technology Strike Force."
Deglobalization Round-Up: February 17
February 17, 2023China bets sink Tiger Global and the Singapore sovereign wealth fund balks at Beijing. Plus semiconductor companies moving out of China, Europe's push for solar, and the "critical-minerals club."
The Week That’s Done: January 29
January 29, 2023Copper shortfall and a graphite black swan from China raises questions about future battery supply. Plus, Italy takes steps toward becoming a European energy hub, China's natural gas crunch explained, a multilateral move in chip restrictions on China, and the Maersk-MSC breakup could shake up global shipping.
Deglobalization Round-Up: January 19
January 19, 2023Davos might be the symbol of globalization, but even there, the trend toward deglobalization is clear - and MacroFab, GlobalFoundries, and active managers are benefiting (though investors in ByteDance aren't).
Deglobalization Round-Up: December 9
December 9, 2022The EU sues China at the WTO as Beijing's effort to weaponize globalization come into sharp relief. Meanwhile, are semiconductors the canary in the coal mine for deglobalization?
Deglobalization Round-Up: November 11
November 11, 2022A week in deglobalization: A milestone for US-based foundry Skywater, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai sees US companies turning away from China, Apple's reality shows why, and Kellog and Aalberts report continuing supply chain challenges.
Getting in the Semiconductor Fight
July 2, 2022A global semiconductor strategy, if it could be established, might set the template for how the techno-democracies can compete in today’s industrial era. Emerging industries cannot be pursued by a go-it-alone America. But nor can any be developed without guardrails and a competitive orientation. Welcome to the new globalization.
Factors Briefing: Week of May 16
May 21, 2022In a new era of shortage, adjustments are being made: Food nationalism rears its head in India, while in critical minerals automakers look to platinum over palladium; meanwhile, the US fails to incentivize greater oil and gas production while China scoops up Russia's at bargain basement prices
In the Global Semiconductor Race, the US Should Remember to Tie Its Shoes
May 9, 2022Washington needs to invest not only in next-generation technological advance, but also into semiconductor production itself, and the materials necessary for it. Such investments are critical for a robust industrial base. They would also be diplomatically advantageous.
