Asianometry
2 HN recommenders · recommended in 3 months, 2023–2024
21:59 · 1M views · Jan 12, 2023
Asianometry examines how East Germany tried and failed to build a native semiconductor industry despite heavy investment, including the espionage involved in acquiring Western microelectronics technology.
HN commenters share it in chip fab and industrial espionage threads as a well-researched account of East Germany's failed microelectronics effort.
4 comments from Hacker News
Regarding the microelectronics industry behind the Iron Curtain, this is a well researched video by Asianometry, which actually contains a couple of details (unlike the Politico article) about the spycraft involved: this video (based on the first-person account book 'Deckname Saale' by Gerhardt Ronneberger)
Just want to share these relevant videos from Asianometry: How Semiconductors Ruined East Germany this video Why Europe Lost Semiconductors [LINK] Europe’s Lost Decades in Semiconductors [LINK]
China is willing to point a firehose of resouroces at development targets, but that doesn't guarantee success. Semiconductors are really stinking hard! East Germany famously tried really hard to develop a native capability, but failed and wound up smuggling parts from the west and running years behind western firms: this video China is more willing to both reward and hold senior stakeholders responsible, as long as they aren't too closely allied with Xi
I weep for the Chinese researchers never getting funding and a moment in the sun, cause a incompetent secret service/insecure government prefers copying. this video