It costs AI players around $50bn to build each gigawatt of AI capacity, TSMC CEO CC Wei said Thursday. Wei declined to say how much of that flows to TSMC.

The state of AI explained in one image.

TSMC just posted revenue & operating profit which beat guidance. What's impressive is that gross margin came in near top of guidance, despite a strengthening Taiwan dollar. (1% stronger TWD = 0.4% weaker gross margin). GM was hit by about 280bps due to forex, management told investors Thursday.

✅ @tculpan.bsky.social has been verified by @bsky.app.

Note to Donald Trump It really doesn’t take much. Just sayin’ Start Your Own Smartphone Company for $1,000 By @tculpan (10 years ago) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Just in: Taiwan was just hit by a big quake. This alert, sent by phone, arrived 30-45sec before the tremor hit northern Taiwan. Our alert system really worked.

Never forget that there’s “nothing to remember” about this day

You should not be surprised when TSMC trims its full-year sector forecast this Thursday at its 1Q earnings event. culpium.com

My schadenfreude for the day is that Bitcoin's down basically as much as the NASDAQ, and if Bitcoin did what its fans said it did it would be the opposite.

#WARNING: @cpsc.gov warns consumers to immediately stop using INSE Cordless Stick Vacuums models S6P Pro and S6T due to fire and burn hazards; risk of serious injury and death; sold on amazon.com. Full warning: cpsc.gov/Warnings/202...

Trump’s new income tax policy: How much you spent / How much your earned See! Policy is easy.

Thomas Friedman saw only what Beijing wanted him to see. It wasn’t the future.

When apparent agents of the state do not identify themselves and do not declare the authority by which they are acting—“This is the XYZ police and you are under arrest”—they are, by definition, secret police.

The US-Taiwan semiconductor relationship has changed drastically. I was surprised by what the data showed me. The implications for the US are profound www.culpium.com/p/how-a-tsmc...

"The US doesn’t have the capacity to manufacture anywhere near a similar volume of equivalent devices. It would take months, if not years, to build the factories, spin up the tools, and then go through the qualification process", @tculpan.bsky.social writes.

To a dog, the carrot & the stick have opposite roles.

There’s a better way to look at Deepseek www.culpium.com/p/deepseek-i...

Taiwan’s KMT vehemently opposes abolishing the death penalty. A matter of principle, which I understand but don’t agree with. I wonder whether the party vehemently opposes employing it for treason 🙄 newbloommag.net/2025/01/27/r...

Huh? What? Getting heaps of LinkedIn connection requests from accounts like this recently. Microsoft can’t seem to contain the spread.

Hey there. Did you just lose access to your Big Media newsletter, and now they want your credit card? Sign up here for something better. Get a weekly dose of Culpium. Free. www.culpium.com

I’ll soon be publishing my last piece for the year. It’s a surprising take on the most important tech stories of the year. Definitely on-brand for those who know me, but counterintuitive. Sign up now to make sure it lands in your inbox open.substack.com/pub/timculpan

Oh, Intel. open.substack.com/pub/timculpa...

China has made great strides in chipmaking equipment. Yet the gap to self-sufficiency is widening. Here’s why. open.substack.com/pub/timculpa...

Martial Law declared by South Korea’s President aje.io/xidzxp

Gelsinger’s CHIPS Act deal put it down a dangerous path. Now he’s out, and then what .. open.substack.com/pub/timculpa...

Time to play another game of Rumor Mill bingo.

Tariffs aren’t always a bad idea. In this case they are. I give two solid examples to illustrate the point. open.substack.com/pub/timculpa...

Taiwan just got shaken by a solid earthquake. Likely minimal damage, but let’s see.

Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on Mexico & Canada are a huge surprise. My analysis shows that tariffs *can* work if done right. But I also show where this current approach will cause damage and undo attempts to create jobs. Details in my next newsletter timculpan.substack.com/subscribe?ut...

Trump, Taiwan and Tomorrow. Vickie Wang shares a perspective which we can all hope the new President might consider www.nytimes.com/2024/11/24/o...

US internet FANGs are looking sharp. Huge contrast to the BATs of China open.substack.com/pub/timculpa...

Prediction: Ronny Chieng will host the Oscars within the next decade.

Like I said. Great numbers 👍 Weak-ish outlook 👎 Stock fell

Nvidia’s earnings later today have something for everyone, bulls & bears. Gonna be fun.

The future of American semiconductor strength may depend on a lawsuit filed by a white woman in California. Every Wednesday I explain the intersection of tech, trade and policy. Sign up now to learn why this one case is so important. Published tomorrow. Don’t miss it. tculpan.substack.com

Who will be the White House Lettuce? I don’t imagine many will last the entire Trump term. Whoever departs first is the Trump Lettuce. -Elon -Vivek -Tulsi -Gaetz -Hegseth -Rubio -other?

You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning with $1m in the bank and think “but I’m still not happy!” .. Nah. Me neither.

Nintendo had a great few years, but is running of steam as Switch nears the end of its lifecycle. Here's a quick look at how Nintendo is placed against Sony. timculpan.substack.com/p/sony-vs-ni...

The World’s Biggest VC is One of the Worst Great vision. Execution, not so much. open.substack.com/pub/timculpa...

ChatGPT has gleaned that I’m a leftie with a 3D Printer

I’m back. What did I miss?

Foxconn founder Terry Gou is still running for Taiwan president. He has enough signatures to get on the Jan. 16 ballot. His spokesman just told me that, one way or another, Gou will see it through to the end. In other words, on his own ticket or on someone else’s

I know the world (ie. the US) is paranoid about China’s chip sector. Fair enough. But there is another important sector that deserves scrutiny. US & European leaders need to keep watch https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-10-05/aerospace-is-a-bigger-threat-to-us-trade-than-chinese-chips

*THE WHO SAYS THE COVID-19 GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY IS OVER

hot take i fuckin hate voice memos. texting is for MULTITASKING when i am in a MEETING or crossing the STREET and i can’t do that if you send me audio!!!

jack doesn’t have unilateral power. he has 1/3 influence on the board. i’m the CEO besides, jack is truly dedicated to seeing through decentralized social, whether it’s web5, us, nostr, or w/e. i have the most control over this endeavor, and i’m grateful for everyone who’s trusted me with it.

If Jack Dorsey is in the house, give us a wave. It’s possible he’s lurking behind a dummy account. But would be great for us to hear from him. Reskeet if you agree.

It’s clear that most Twitter alternatives face the same problem: discovery. Whichever app cracks the “you should follow” and “trending” features will win. Management needs to prioritize this above (almost) all else.