TSMC is the world's largest chip manufacturer and produces the majority of the world's advanced computer chips — even about 90%, according to some estimates over the past few years. It would be devastating, but citing people close to the TSMC and its main machine Sa

problem, Bloomberg reports that both TSMC and ASML have ways to disable lithography machines located in Taiwan. This kill switch would be able to operate remotely if such dramatic action was required.

U.S. government officials reportedly told both companies about what would happen in the event of an invasion, and ASML was able to reassure officials that the machine would not fall into the wrong hands.

This switch applies to the latest EUV machines from ASML. These are also some of the most complex, expensive and considerable chip making machines around today. The machine itself took many years to develop and even time to implement it in practice, but today it is responsible for producing the most complex and powerful computer chips.

EUV machines require highly trained professionals, components, resources, etc. to function properly. It is very unlikely that these machines will function as effectively as they do today when they are disconnected from much of the global economy. But all this is a plan for hypothetical situations, and nothing is certain.

Concerns over Taiwan's national security are what ultimately led to increased spending on chip manufacturing facilities in the United States and Europe. The U.S. Chip Act has agreed to pay huge sums to today's largest chip manufacturing companies, including TSMC, Intel and Samsung, attracting factory facilities to be built, maintained and expanded on U.S. soil, and it seems to be working, too. 

Even with today's optimistic outlook, a very high percentage of processors will be manufactured in Taiwan in the near future.