How Semiconductors Ruined East Germany
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters share it in chip fab and industrial espionage threads as a well-researched account of East Germany's failed microelectronics effort.
What it is
Asianometry examines how East Germany tried and failed to build a native semiconductor industry despite heavy investment, including the espionage involved in acquiring Western microelectronics technology.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2023 to 2024.
What Hacker News said
Recommends nntwozz · 2023-08 · on “TSMC, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP to build fab in Germany”
Just want to share these relevant videos from Asianometry: How Semiconductors Ruined East Germany [this video] Why Europe Lost Semiconductors [LINK] Europe’s Lost Decades in Semiconductors [LINK]
Recommends flohofwoe · 2024-08 · on “The Untold Story of How US Spies Sabotaged Soviet Technology”
Regarding the microelectronics industry behind the Iron Curtain, this is a well researched video by Asianometry, which actually contains a couple of details (unlike the Politico article) about the spycraft involved: [this video] (based on the first-person account book 'Deckname Saale' by Gerhardt Ronneberger)
Cites MengerSponge · 2023-08 · on “TSMC, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP to build fab in Germany”
China is willing to point a firehose of resouroces at development targets, but that doesn't guarantee success. Semiconductors are really stinking hard! East Germany famously tried really hard to develop a native capability, but failed and wound up smuggling parts from the west and running years behind western firms: [this video] China is more willing to both reward and hold senior stakeholders responsible, as long as they aren't too closely allied with Xi
Cites 3seashells · 2023-11 · on “Chinese spies had acces to Dutch chip maker NXP's systems for over two years”
I weep for the Chinese researchers never getting funding and a moment in the sun, cause a incompetent secret service/insecure government prefers copying. [this video]