Quote:
Originally Posted by flybouy
We do make computer chips here. They are made all over the country and typically used in high end (read expensive) equipment like defense contractors, medical equipment, etc.
The question is, why do the auto manufactures buy them from Asia? The answer is because we all demand cheaper goods. So inorder to meet those demands companies that sell everything from cell phones to shoes go off shore where a surplus of low income and sometimes child and even slave labor makes it impossible for US industries to compete. Even our government buys the covid masks that they send out "for free" from China. They are the low bidder and often unapposed.
Welcome to our "Global Economy".
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Correct we DO make chips here. Just not the ones automobile manufacturers use. When Covid caused people to quit driving for that first year the industry made the conscious decision to halt chip orders rather that stock pile them. The chip companies who made chips for them ( mostly in Taiwan I believe) retooled to build chips for other customers who did not demand obsolete chip technology. The chips the Auto Manufacturers (AM) use are based on technology developed in the early 90's and the whole world has moved on except the AM. NOBODY but the AM uses that chip technology. So when orders for cars came back and the AM attempted to start again low and behold the industry that makes chips had found new markets. The AM have yet to redesign (read retool) their products to use modern technology chips. And the companies that make chips are not about to tool back to the old technology. All of this will be mute though. Chip production needs neon and 50% of all neon is produced in...........Ukraine. So no end to shortages anytime soon. We might see the return on seats you adjust by hand, widows you physically roll up and down.
"Three on the tree!"