Regardless of whether it is Crypto/AI/etc., this would seem to be wake-up call #2. We're finding the strangle-points in our "economy"—will we do anything about it? A single fab in Phoenix would seem inadequate?

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jacquesm 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

If 'the West' would be half as smart as they claim to be there would be many more fabs in friendly territory. Stick a couple in Australia and NZ too for good measure, it is just too critical of a resource now.

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fullstop 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Micron is bringing up one in Boise Idaho as well.

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baiwl 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

What will we do with that fab in two years when nobody needs that excess RAM?

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jacquesm 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

There has never been 'an excess of RAM', the market has always absorbed what was available.

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JKCalhoun 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I suspect there will be a shortage of something else then…

And regardless, you could flip it around and ask, what will we do in x years when the next shortage comes along and we have no fabs? (And that shortage of course could well be an imposed one from an unfriendly nation.)

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Ericson2314 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Sell it at lower prices. Demand is a function of price, not a scalar.

	▲	h2zizzle 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Tax write-off donations to schools and non-profits, too.

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xzjis 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It's a political problem: do we, the people, have a choice in what gets prioritized? I think it's clear that the majority of people don't give a damn about minor improvements in AI and would rather have a better computer, smartphone, or something else for their daily lives than fuel the follies of OpenAI and its competitors. At worst, they can build more fabs simultaneously to have the necessary production for AI within a few years, but reallocating it right now is detrimental and nobody wants that, except for a few members of the crazy elite like Sam Altman or Elon Musk.