Why can't an American company make a viable mobile processor? We have MIT, Caltech, let's make this work people...
The technology behind the processor is an American design (if I'm not mistaken). TSMC is a foundry, they manufacture chips, it doesn't matter what the chips are, be them memory chips, processors, video codecs, DC/DC converters, etc...
These foundries are extremely expensive to run and operate; and thus every cost has to be carefully accounted for. Personal to run the foundry is significant, the resources needed are huge, the environmental cleanup, and many other things are necessary. For decades Intel, TI, Motorola and more did have foundries in the US; but being able to keep up with Technology and the ever shrinking transistor became too expensive for most companies to keep them running.
Foundries that are not operating at 90% capacity or more is losing money! Thus there was a market for stand alone foundries that supported all different companies. Since labor was cheaper over seas, and many regulations were more lax; it made sense for these new foundries to be built there. The companies that used to own their own foundries now don't have the expense of researching new technology and making it a viable production line; that is a billion dollar investment. There are several large foundries around the world, but the number is actually quite small; less than 10? These manufacture MOST chips in every electronics device.
I think only Intel is left with their own foundry; and it is closed. This means that no one else can use it. They are often cutting edge and really a generation or two ahead of everyone else. TSMC is, in my humble opinion, the best non-private foundry out there. They aren't as cutting edge as Intel, but their process is damn good.
