The wealthy farmer is trying to put together a deal

The wealthy farmer is trying to put together a deal to buy that big chip maker and one partner is the celebrity CEO.

As part of the deal, unbeknownst to the company, is that all production would move to the mainland.

Bill Gates

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

China

The World Relies on One Chip Maker in Taiwan, Leaving Everyone Vulnerable

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. ’s chips are everywhere, though most consumers don’t know it.

The company makes almost all of the world’s most sophisticated chips, and many of the simpler ones, too. They’re in billions of products with built-in electronics, including iPhones, personal computers and cars—all without any obvious sign they came from TSMC, which does the manufacturing for better-known companies that design them, like Apple Inc. and Qualcomm Inc.

TSMC has emerged over the past several years as the world’s most important semiconductor company, with enormous influence over the global economy. With a market cap of around $550 billion, it ranks as the world’s 11th most valuable company.

Its dominance leaves the world in a vulnerable position, however. As more technologies require chips of mind-boggling complexity, more are coming from this one company, on an island that’s a focal point of tensions between the U.S. and China, which claims Taiwan as its own. – Source