We do now have to switch focus to the
US semiconductor industry, defence, critical Intellectual property and geopolitics.
IMO there are a few ways this could go - AXE sticks to commercial dev and consumer electronics, keeps hold of its IP and all licenses and royalties. Does anyone see how any civilian lab can put together a 12CQ without AXE personnel involved? So I think we're safe in that regard. Would be interesting to see the details of the deal between AXE and GF, when it's done. GF is first answerable to the US powers that be which want to build a semiconductor hub in upstate New York. They're trying to get Samsung to set up a foundry there as well, Samsung will think more than twice. Now that AXE seems to endorse the smartphone route more openly, I can see why they would not have even considered Samsung foundries ,being direct competitors. Yes, when this 12CQ for mobiles gets made, AXE enters the mobile phone market as well as the semiconductor market.
Alternatively, AXE gets taken over by defence interests, typically no royalties get paid, from what I've read in Australian defence policies re IP. However most policies refer to Data and Software and not hardware. 12CQ is leading edge hardware primarily.
Article below doesn't paint a great picture re IP in the US system. Interesting point made is that the supreme court hold that critical AI and emerging tech are outside the scope of their patent laws. Meaning, not adequately protected. The 12CQ would have the capability to do some deep learning and AI at its core.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-intellectual-property-critical-national-securityDefence contracts have the advantage of upfront monetization with a big payout. I hope AXE continues to tread lightly and keep its options open, while considering its shareholders.
(20min delay)