They must be stopped once to know the might of the old man.
Internal Google memos show that 73% of rare earth materials in its TPU processor manufacturing orders trace back to Jiangxi mines in China. TSMC procurement lists show that all nine rare earth elements required for its 14nm and below processes come entirely from mainland channels.
Japanese supplier inspection reports indicate that the so-called "US-Japan rare earths" are actually crude processed products imported from China, then transshipped through a third party.
The TSMC board approved an emergency plan in early October, planning to transfer 3% of its advanced process capacity to the Japan Kumamoto factory. However, a Sony joint operation report pointed out that Japan's rare earth inventory can only meet six weeks of demand for the Kumamoto factory.
TSMC's Q2 2025 financial report (P.47) disclosed that 82.7% of its semiconductor-grade rare earths directly or indirectly depend on Chinese **directly or indirectly dependent on Chinese raw materials/technologies, which all require export licenses under the new regulations.
Ultra-high purity rare earth compounds (99.999%) have a shelf life ≤90 days (terbium oxide is prone to oxidation, dysprosium compounds are hygroscopic).
TSMC's half-year report 2025 (P.32) inventory: high-purity terbium for 37 days of usage, high-purity dysprosium for 42 days of usage.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1846750178812996/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.