Asianometry

Taiwan’s DRAM Failure

We often associate Taiwan with chips. Taiwanese chips. It’s their thing right? But Taiwan’s strength is actually only in logic chips. In the industry’s other big sector, memory and DRAM memory in particular, Taiwan is second-tier. Hardly a player. It’s not that the Taiwanese haven’t tried to break into DRAM before. In fact, they spent billions trying for two decades. They just keep losing at it over and over again. In this video, we look at Vanguard, TI-Acer, Taiwan Memory Corporation and Taiwan’s DRAM failure. ---------------------------------------- Get all episodes of Asianometry, Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering as part of Stratechery Plus [https://stratechery.passport.online/member/plan/4ycW4SE71Cy6ryrijywbTG] for $15/month or $150/year. ---------------------------------------- Listen to Stratechery [https://open.spotify.com/show/1jRACH7L8EQCYKc5uW7aPk]. Listen to Dithering [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qrjQTO7wFlkAs6juz1w1W]. Listen to Sharp China [https://open.spotify.com/show/4PGk72vZmL2uHwUB8Yqssk]. Listen to Sharp Tech [https://open.spotify.com/show/4vk2MfVMEAuOnTWUOz6lnE]. Listen to Greatest Of All Talk [https://open.spotify.com/show/29hrPvq9yABUvxAgSojUJE].

Japan’s Rare Earths Island

In 2010, the People’s Republic of China banned exports of rare earths to Japan due to a territorial dispute. After that, the Japanese government began developing alternate sources of rare earths - signing deals with Australia and Brazil. The most intriguing potential source however lies beneath the deep sea sediments surrounding a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In February 2026, the Japanese government reported the first successful test extraction of this deep sea mud, thousands of meters under the surface. In today’s video, a brief look at Japan’s rare earths island. ---------------------------------------- Get all episodes of Asianometry, Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering as part of Stratechery Plus [https://stratechery.passport.online/member/plan/4ycW4SE71Cy6ryrijywbTG] for $15/month or $150/year. ---------------------------------------- Listen to Stratechery [https://open.spotify.com/show/1jRACH7L8EQCYKc5uW7aPk]. Listen to Dithering [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qrjQTO7wFlkAs6juz1w1W]. Listen to Sharp China [https://open.spotify.com/show/4PGk72vZmL2uHwUB8Yqssk]. Listen to Sharp Tech [https://open.spotify.com/show/4vk2MfVMEAuOnTWUOz6lnE]. Listen to Greatest Of All Talk [https://open.spotify.com/show/29hrPvq9yABUvxAgSojUJE].

How Things Fell Apart for Germany’s Nixdorf Computer

It is one of Europe’s greatest technology startup stories. A young student in 1950s West Germany motorcycling across the country - offering companies a computer. That young student built an empire from scratch. One of Europe’s biggest, most famous computer companies. Then it all came tumbling down. In today’s video, one of Europe’s most well-known computer companies: Nixdorf Computer. ---------------------------------------- Get all episodes of Asianometry, Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering as part of Stratechery Plus [https://stratechery.passport.online/member/plan/4ycW4SE71Cy6ryrijywbTG] for $15/month or $150/year. ---------------------------------------- Listen to Stratechery [https://open.spotify.com/show/1jRACH7L8EQCYKc5uW7aPk]. Listen to Dithering [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qrjQTO7wFlkAs6juz1w1W]. Listen to Sharp China [https://open.spotify.com/show/4PGk72vZmL2uHwUB8Yqssk]. Listen to Sharp Tech [https://open.spotify.com/show/4vk2MfVMEAuOnTWUOz6lnE]. Listen to Greatest Of All Talk [https://open.spotify.com/show/29hrPvq9yABUvxAgSojUJE].

Intel’s 30 Years in Costa Rica

In July 2025, Intel announced that they will be gradually closing their assembly and test site in Costa Rica. End of an era. Intel has been in Costa Rica for almost 30 years. That A&T factory was their only Latin American manufacturing site. In 2000, nearly 40% of Costa Rica’s exports were Intel microprocessors. They were a chip export giant! (Kinda) In today’s video, let us look back at Intel’s tenure in Costa Rica. ---------------------------------------- Get all episodes of Asianometry, Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering as part of Stratechery Plus [https://stratechery.passport.online/member/plan/4ycW4SE71Cy6ryrijywbTG] for $15/month or $150/year. ---------------------------------------- Listen to Stratechery [https://open.spotify.com/show/1jRACH7L8EQCYKc5uW7aPk]. Listen to Dithering [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qrjQTO7wFlkAs6juz1w1W]. Listen to Sharp China [https://open.spotify.com/show/4PGk72vZmL2uHwUB8Yqssk]. Listen to Sharp Tech [https://open.spotify.com/show/4vk2MfVMEAuOnTWUOz6lnE]. Listen to Greatest Of All Talk [https://open.spotify.com/show/29hrPvq9yABUvxAgSojUJE].

The Little Vertical Laser That Everyone Uses

For the first few decades of its existence, all lasers were side-firing lasers - meaning the beam comes out of the wafer’s side. Horizontally. But in the late 1970s, a new type of semiconductor laser emerged. One that fired out of the wafer surface, vertically. Yes. It sounds a bit weird. At first, nobody had any idea what to do with it. But over time, the technology has been adopted into a wide variety of everyday applications. Today, it literally shines into people’s faces. In today’s video, the little vertical lasers that everyone uses. ---------------------------------------- Get all episodes of Asianometry, Sharp Tech, Sharp China, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering as part of Stratechery Plus [https://stratechery.passport.online/member/plan/4ycW4SE71Cy6ryrijywbTG] for $15/month or $150/year. ---------------------------------------- Listen to Stratechery [https://open.spotify.com/show/1jRACH7L8EQCYKc5uW7aPk]. Listen to Dithering [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qrjQTO7wFlkAs6juz1w1W]. Listen to Sharp China [https://open.spotify.com/show/4PGk72vZmL2uHwUB8Yqssk]. Listen to Sharp Tech [https://open.spotify.com/show/4vk2MfVMEAuOnTWUOz6lnE]. Listen to Greatest Of All Talk [https://open.spotify.com/show/29hrPvq9yABUvxAgSojUJE].