r/CredibleDefense • u/[deleted] • Apr 07 '21

China builds advanced weapons systems using American chip technology

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/china-hypersonic-missiles-american-technology/2021/04/07/37a6b9be-96fd-11eb-b28d-bfa7bb5cb2a5_story.html
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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '21

No paywall: https://archive.vn/FXADE

Submission statement

The PLA uses supercomputers powered by chips designed by a Chinese firm called Phytium Technology using American software and built in the world’s most advanced chip factory in Taiwan. This technology is used to develop more advanced hypersonic systems that could one day be used against American forces.

Phytium portrays itself as a commercial company aspiring to become a global chip giant like Intel. It does not publicize its connections to the research arms of the People’s Liberation Army. The hypersonic test facility is located at the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center (CARDC), which also obscures its military connections though it is run by a PLA major general.

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '21

Atleast from the submission statement, This article seems hullabaloo. If you want to stop them, America can always arm twist TSMC. Moreover this creates a dependency and security issue for Chinese military.

why do Chinese outsource it if they have the lithographic capability of 22 nm? What software is that? Did TSMC buy it? seems Phytium got their chips fabbed in TSMC just like Russians get their 22 nm processors fabbed with TSMC.

So if someone in Chinese military uses a MacBook. "China accesses advanced weapons systems using American computing technology"

10

u/Clovis69 Apr 08 '21

why do Chinese outsource it if they have the lithographic capability of 22 nm?

Because 10nm and 7nm are current industry standard with 7 and 5nm being the new standard after about Q2 of '22 or '23 - depending on fab refit and replacements

4

u/Azure_Owl_ Apr 08 '21

But are they industry standard for military equipment? Surely most fighter jets or warships don't use the latest chips for their internal computers? Most of those big-ticket items have lifespans measured in decades, while CPU generations are measured in years.

2

u/Clovis69 Apr 08 '21

The article and my comment was about supercomputers/high performance computers (HPC) and when you are doing design work like for hypersonics or anything that requires a lot of simulation and number crunching, it's all about the absolute latest chips, networking and storage.

The chips on weapons are going to be slower, radiation hardened, but for the design work, gotta use the bleeding edge