Chips aren't getting cheaper to make — the cost per transistor stopped dropping a decade ago at 28nm (www.tomshardware.com)
from yogthos@lemmy.ml to technology@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 03:38
https://lemmy.ml/post/11444522

#technology

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Ummdustry@sh.itjust.works on 04 Feb 2024 11:10 next collapse

Well, at least they aren’t getting more expensive yet, it’d be werid explaining to my grandkids how I grew up in the ‘age of cheap semi-conductors’.

utopiah@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 14:35 collapse

… but if you take inflation into account if the price is stable then goods are getting relatively more expensive.

n2burns@lemmy.ca on 04 Feb 2024 15:41 collapse

… but if you take inflation into account if the price is stable then goods are getting relatively more expensive cheaper.

FTFY

[deleted] on 04 Feb 2024 14:43 next collapse
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yogthos@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 15:05 collapse

Last I looked at this, profit margins in chip industry are pretty thin. Profitability comes mostly from volume. This article gives a pretty good overview of the dynamics in the industry compactmag.com/…/fighting-a-chip-war-on-the-cheap

[deleted] on 04 Feb 2024 20:14 collapse
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yogthos@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 21:00 collapse

Right, key part is that there needs to be constant massive demand for the whole thing to be profitable. AI hype will die down eventually, so that’s not gonna be a sustainable long term cash cow for them.

PanArab@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 15:47 next collapse

Really looking forward to mass produced 16nm chips. Flooding the market is just what’s needed to make them more affordable

yogthos@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 16:06 collapse

that actually looks to be the big fear western manufacturers have now asia.nikkei.com/…/U.S.-nervous-about-flood-of-old…

Certainity45@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 19:33 collapse

Imgaine if consumer electronics had only 28nm chips with long-lasting and superior quality software. Every laptop and smartphone would have at least 10 yeear lifespan.

yogthos@lemmy.ml on 04 Feb 2024 21:03 collapse

Indeed, the way I use my phone hasn’t really changed in over a decade. I use the same few apps like email, calendar, music player, browser, and some messenger apps vast majority of the time. From user perspective, I can’t tell any real difference in terms of usability or snappiness in the UI. We absolutely could’ve been making phones that last and then just continuously optimizing the software to keep getting more out of them. Unfortunately, the pressures of capitalism create an incredibly wasteful industry where companies try to get people to buy new phones as often as possible.