Where graphics firms get their chips

IMAGINE THE SHOCK and surprise when ATI came home one night to TSMC with lipstick on its collar, and not the shade that TSMC usually wears. Instead of going into hysterics and calling its lawyer for a divorce, TSMC sat ATI down, cooked it a fabulous dinner, and partied into the night. Unlike marriage, the relationships in the semiconductor industry are rarely monogamous, and while companies will have favourite partners they are still willing to sleep around.