The Jupiter thing is just a cover story. The reality is that OJ is using this satellite to look for the real killers! It's been 20 years since he promised to look for them. Searching golf courses and jail cells hasn't turned anything up, so now it's time to move to space.

I saw a video on Youtube about one of these. Pretty cool tech, and very simple. Solar powered and great for places like Indonesia or the Philippines. Some group sponsors one and trash gets collected.

I wondered the same thing. The only thing I could think of is that perhaps they bid on this so that they could hold it and re-sell it to a carrier later for more money. Notice the section that says small entities and rural carriers were given a "discount" on their license costs.

So if you're a small rural school, buy some spectrum at a discount then lease it back to a carrier and make $$$.

Possible reasons could be:

A - Chip includes significant power-related circuitry, which works better at older/lower resolution nodes. For example, if you're moving around a lot of power, like Thunderbolt most definitely does, it's easier to fab the circuits that control the power at an older or lower resolution (bigger) process node, like 90 nm or 130nm. That's (one reason) why many power drivers and other circuitry use the older nodes. You can mix and match nodes (5nm CPU, 90nm TB controller), but only if you're doing chiplets.

B - They had a 3rd party design the chip for them, and they wanted to reduce the co-dependence. So they make the CPU, 3rd party makes the TB controller. If they're late, no delay on the CPU.

C - They want the option to dual-source the TB controller. Perhaps they think their fab might not be able to make enough. As a separate chip, they can stick an Intel controller there, or one of their own (or 3rd party) and have more supply if one or the other runs out of chips.

D - Cost. The newest nodes (5nm) cost $$$$$$$ per piece. Older nodes like 40nm, 90nm or 130nm are much much cheaper. Yes you get more for your money, but it's not a linear cost. The newest nodes are MUCH more expensive.

But A is probably the answer. TB, USB, PCIe are all power-related, and their circuits work better on older (bigger) nodes. There's a good video on Youtube about why car chips and older nodes are in such demand and why that's not going away anytime soon.

The CIA/NSA should do the same thing they did recently with evidence for Russian hacking. Offer a big reward ($10M USD) for definitive info. Someone somewhere knows something. You offer them enough money to rebuild their life somewhere else, they'll flip and tell you what's going on.

Where are my mod points!

When I hear you say "patch straight into my sound processor unit" you sound like a cyborg!

I know fabs are seriously expensive, but I'm shocked that a single fab, even if it's 5nm, can cost $10 billion dollars. That is serious money. Does anyone here from the industry have a breakdown on the cost of the different components? Concrete can't be that much. Is it the UVL machines? What's the largest part of the price tag?

Linux users practice self-love :-)

We SO need a language named Vajazzle! Let's rename VB!

Well, you're still paying interest on the stock you borrowed to short it, so IMHO yes, there is a loss. If the stock isn't going down you're losing money every day.

You mean Astlavista!

Don't worry, *this* state-government-run bank will be very reliable, efficient, and emphasize customer service...

Just like my local DMV! Nothing says "customer service" quite like the DMV.
...and the federal college grant program
...and the high-speed train in California
...and the $1B in homeless spending (gone already?)
...and the Veteran's TRICARE medical (just re-schedule the late appointments)
...and Medicare

As soon as the federal government does "Medicare for all" our healthcare will be a paradise! Just like all their other successful programs!

You forgot:
- fork for Scotsmen who LIKE systemd
- fork for Scotsmen who HATE systemd
- fork for Scotsmen from UPPER kilttown

I hear Softbank is running over with $1B in seed money! #ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney