Security News Malware Hits Plants of Chip Giant TSMC

[silversurfer]

Content source

https://www.securityweek.com/malware-hits-plants-chip-giant-tsmc

A piece of malware has caused significant disruptions in the factories of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker.

TSMC’s most important customer is Apple, whose iPhone and iPad products use TSMC chips, but the company also supplies semiconductors to Qualcomm, Nvidia, AMD, MediaTek and Broadcom.

In a statement published on its website on Sunday, the company described the incident as a “computer virus outbreak” that impacted an unspecified number of computer systems and fabrication tools in Taiwan.

 

[cruelsister]

This is actually pretty important. TSMC, along with Global Foundry are the guys that have the ability to make CPU on the 7nm process. Fortunately AMD (the only one that will come out with this chip as Intel is still screwing around with the bogus 10nm node) also uses Global Foundry- but it seems that these AMD CPU's will be in short supply.

ps- last time I posted a few months ago AMD stock was at about 11USD when I suggested a buy. Right now it is at 19USD and change. For a no brainer gain, look to buy an in the money Jan 2020 LEAP option. My favorite play would be to do a Vertical:

1). Buy the Jan 2020 LEAP 20 call for 4.35, and
2). Sell the Jan 2020 LEAP 30 call for 2.00

This would cost you 2.35. If AMD surpasses 30USD by Jan 2020 you will get $10, a fairly nice return.

 

[cruelsister]

Intel : Shares down around 1.67%. The chipmaker was downgraded at Barclays to “equal-weight” from “overweight” due to rising AMD competition.

Intel shares fall after Barclays downgrades chipmaker due to rising AMD competition

(10nm by 2019 by Intel? I don't think so- the 10nm node is Dead and the yields will not allow commercialization.)

The 7nm process will keep Moore's law alive (processing power doubling every 18 months), and AMD will be the one who does it. The good thing is that this leapfrogging of Intel really isn't baked in to future earnings growth yet. This move by Barclays today is the first of many downgrades for Intel and upgrades for AMD.

Lisa Su is a Goddess.