The Asianometry Podcast
1) TSMC's Incredible 2nm Curvy Masks
All indications point to TSMC's N2 process node being a beautiful one. TSMC recently discussed their 2nm process node at IEDM 2024, calling it the "world’s most advanced logic technology". N2’s headli...Show More
2) The Mac Clone King's Brief Reign
In 1994, Apple began offering licenses to produce Macintosh clone computers. The move came nearly 10 years late. Windows already had 80% market share then, leaving Apple with just about 7%. Apple had ...Show More
3) The American Catalog Home Boom and Bust
For over 20 years until the end of the 1920s, the American catalog home boomed and busted. The whole business model was fascinating. Flip through this wonderfully illustrated catalog from Sears or Ala...Show More
4) Australia's Forgotten Electronics Giant
I came across a super interesting article from 1988, titled "Australia's new world-standard IC foundry". It profiled a leading-edge silicon fab built by an Australian electronics company I had never h...Show More
5) America’s Semiconductor Boom is Real
Last week, I got on a plane and flew from Taipei to Phoenix, Arizona to visit SEMICON West. For the first time ever, the semiconductor industry's biggest show is in Phoenix. I spoke to a lot of people...Show More
6) PDAs: Ancestors of the Smartphones
In the beginning, people stored addresses, telephone numbers, and dates in little books. Sometimes called organizers. These paper books were popular and some became fashion statements. A particularly ...Show More
7) A Water Company Debt Crisis in the United Kingdom
As of this writing in summer 2025, parts of the United Kingdom are experiencing drought conditions. Which is strange to me because I figured that it is always raining in the British Isles. But here we...Show More
8) How the Communists Took Afghanistan
In April 1978, a Marxist-Leninist party overthrew the government of Afghanistan. They then established a new country: the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The news shocked the world. Over history, ...Show More
9) How AI Accelerates Materials Discovery
Can AI help find the next breakthrough material? One of my side quests on this long world trip has been chasing the answer to this question. AI-accelerated materials discovery is fascinating to me bec...Show More
10) Drone Delivery Is Taking Off
My first thought when I heard about Manna was that drone delivery didn't work. Just look at the tech giants Amazon and Google. In 2013, then-CEO Jeff Bezos announced on the CBS TV show 60 Minutes that...Show More