Well, if they reduce ag irrigation enough, seems that would take care of the water issue for the fabs? We could probably make an argument that the fabs use that limited resource, to produce a higher value output, than alfalfa.
Steve
What do you think has a higher value output in the Desert? Alfalfa, Chips, or water?
If the water is not used for anything, does it have value? So, the value question would be use it for alfalfa, or for fabs?
Steve
Yes it does since this is the desert and the acquifiers need to be recharged so that they do not go dry. I can see you haven’t any conception of what a drought does to the land, especially one that has been going on for over 25 years.
As usual, dividend has it backwards.
Inflation act passed in 2022.
See if you can spot the trend:
2022: 6.0%
2023: 3.4%
2024: 2.9%
Judges verdict: Pants on Fire, with a double flip and half twist.
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NVIDIA is working with its manufacturing partners to design and build factories that, for the first time, will produce NVIDIA AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S. Together with leading manufacturing partners, the company has commissioned more than a million square feet of manufacturing space to build and test NVIDIA Blackwell chips in Arizona and AI supercomputers in Texas.
NVIDIA Blackwell chips have started production at TSMC’s chip plants in Phoenix, Arizona. NVIDIA is building supercomputer manufacturing plants in Texas, with Foxconn in Houston and with Wistron in Dallas. Mass production at both plants is expected to ramp up in the next 12-15 months…
Within the next four years, NVIDIA plans to produce up to half a trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the United States through partnerships with TSMC, Foxconn, Wistron, Amkor and SPIL.
DB2
At what point does he realize he has nearly everything wrong as well?
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Trump is President and Americans voted for him. How do you like them apples ?
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Or, as the Wall Street Journal says today:
Chip maker Nvidia unveiled plans Monday to produce new made-in-America supercomputers that power artificial intelligence, just one day after the Trump administration said tariffs were coming for semiconductor-reliant imports.
But just how much of Nvidia’s news was really new?
Nvidia’s Made-in-the-U.S.A. Move Follows a Familiar Trump Pattern
https://www.wsj.com/tech/nvidias-made-in-the-u-s-a-move-follows-a-familiar-trump-pattern-5401d6f0?st=HtHYAJ&reflink=article_copyURL_share
Companies continue to play up to the King and he wallows in the flattery, even as things were already going that way even without his “assistance.”
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Some new, some not so new. It’s a long, continuing process including decoupling from China after covid disruptions. For example, it seems 20% of iPhones now come out of India.
And in today’s news one reads that
Japan’s second-biggest automaker by sales [Honda] plans to increase U.S. vehicle production by as much as 30% over two to three years in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to put a 25% levy on imported vehicles, Nikkei said…
In the weeks before the new U.S. levy went into effect, Reuters had already reported that Honda plans to make its next-generation Civic hybrid in the U.S. state of Indiana, instead of Mexico…
The company will move production of the CR-V SUV from Canada to the U.S. and that of the HR-V SUV from Mexico to the world’s biggest economy, according to Nikkei.
To increase output, Honda is considering hiring more U.S. workers, the newspaper said. Such a step would make it possible for Honda to switch to a three-shift system from two-shift work and extend production to weekends, Nikkei added.
DB2
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Currently, CR-V production is split between Ontario and Indiana. Civic sedans come from Ontario, and Civic hatchbacks from Indiana. I looked over the content label on an Indiana built CR-V a week or two back. 55% US/Canadian content but both engine and transmission are from Japan. Under the current roadmap that I have seen, while major components for US cars, that are built in Mexico or Canada are exempt, the 25% tariff will be charged for major components, like engines and transmissions, that come from outside the USMCA zone.
Steve
Like I said, Democrats are not happy
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I think you meant you and your sister are not happy. Your an angry little elf.
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Dear Andrew,
No can do.
But
AI Overview
TSMC addresses seismic activity in Taiwan through a combination of proactive measures, including building safeguards, vibration dampening systems, and seismic isolation platforms, along with reactive measures like temporary evacuation and swift recovery efforts. TSMC has also implemented earthquake early warning systems and reinforced its infrastructure with measures like improved seismic coefficients and additional anchors.
AI Overview
Arizona is considered a good location for chip making due to its low seismic activity, stable ground, and predictable weather conditions, which minimize risks associated with natural disasters. These factors are crucial for semiconductor manufacturing, as even minor shaking or weather fluctuations can damage delicate equipment and impact chip production.
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I would agree with this. I always said companies should move to the desert away from the South East and the middle of the country because of the minimal risks with natural disasters.
Dear Andy,
TSM goes to extremes in Taiwan because of the seismic conditions.
You could also make the argument it is smarter to grow water-intensive crops like alfalfa in places that aren’t deserts. Utah and most of Arizona was settled by Mormons who established irrigation districts, often subsidized by property taxes. They wanted abundant, cheap water to promote agriculture, which is how most people made a living back then. There is also Biblical and Book of Mormon prophecy about making the desert bloom. So irrigation is literally a matter of religion.
The result water is abundant and cheap, among the cheapest in the nation. The old original sections of Mormon settlements still have backyard irrigation, Mesa Arizona for example. And that’s why it is still profitable to grow water intensive crops in the deserts of Utah and Arizona.
Some might say the thing to in a water shortage is raise water rates. But the powerful irrigation districts who control the water (called Water Buffaloes) have no such intension. They want more and more big public works projects so they can sell more and more water. Plus a mandate from God which needs to be filled too.
It is interesting to drive through parched desert towns like say, St. George Utah in the summer when it is 110 degrees and note all the lush green lawns. Contrast with Seattle, where there is a lot of water and everyone just lets their lawns go brown.
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Can a mandate from money outweigh a mandate from “God”? Driving along the highway across southern Michigan (I-94 for the map obsessed), I see increasing numbers of corn fields replace by solar arrays.
Steve
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Arizona and Utah follow a doctrine called “first in time, first in right.” So in times of shortage, the oldest right holders get priority. If rights for new water aren’t available (which increasingly they aren’t) you need to talk to one of the Water Buffalos and they aren’t selling. Why would they? They get paid the same no matter what the land use is.
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Yep and Utah and Arizona have some of the tightest water laws in the country.
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