[HN Gopher] Semiconductor Supply Chain Explorer
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       Semiconductor Supply Chain Explorer
        
       Author : jstrieb
       Score  : 29 points
       Date   : 2023-08-07 20:26 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (chipexplorer.eto.tech)
 (TXT) w3m dump (chipexplorer.eto.tech)
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | oplaadpunt wrote:
       | What I miss in this overview is the whole of analog IC design. I
       | get the usual tendency to focus on digital logic (higher volumes,
       | etc), but analog design has a large importance in fields like
       | aviation and defence, for security, communications, radar, etc.
        
         | ls612 wrote:
         | Aren't old line companies like TI and ADI king in that market?
        
       | varispeed wrote:
       | Very interesting. I was actually hoping that UK makes a lot of
       | stuff in the supply chain, turns out we barely make anything.
       | Great.
        
       | jstrieb wrote:
       | An accompanying blog post that explains the origins of the supply
       | chain explorer site:
       | 
       | https://eto.tech/blog/introducing-supply-chain-explorer-adva...
        
       | amelius wrote:
       | > Only U.S. firms can produce EDA software with the full-spectrum
       | capabilities engineers need to design leading-edge chips.
       | 
       | Why is that?
        
         | transpute wrote:
         | https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/18/1058116/eda-soft...
         | 
         |  _> On August 12 [2022], the US Commerce Department announced a
         | multilateral export control on certain EDA tools, blocking
         | China and over 150 other countries--essentially any country
         | that isn't a traditional US ally--from accessing them without
         | specially granted licenses ... how has the industry become so
         | American-centric, and why can't China just develop its own
         | alternative software?_
        
         | AareyBaba wrote:
         | The software is complex and you need to work closely with
         | existing fabs.
         | 
         | See this video from asianometry
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihz2WY-E2C8
        
           | KirillPanov wrote:
           | > you need to work closely with existing fabs
           | 
           | It's mostly this part.
           | 
           | The fabs are using the EDA companies the same way PC
           | manufacturers used Microsoft in the 1990s. There is only
           | really one company for each particular piece of the EDA
           | toolchain -- Cadence and Synopsys don't really compete
           | directly now that they've run everybody else out of business
           | (or bought them up). "Using" here is in the symbiotic sense.
        
             | lux_scintilla wrote:
             | I think Siemens deserves to be on the list but your main
             | point remains. They all really excel at one step or another
             | in the EDA chain. Even they do compete generally across the
             | all broad scopes it sometimes feels like it is not a
             | serious effort. Sometime I wonder which is cause and which
             | is effect, is the reason some fabs simply don't provide PDK
             | support for all options with each company because the tools
             | are lacking or are the tools lacking because the fab does
             | not want to provide support.
        
       | baybal2 wrote:
       | [dead]
        
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       (page generated 2023-08-07 23:00 UTC)