I recommend this read about the origins of the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley: They Would Be Gods [1].
Making a chip has been something that has been done completely methodically since their invention (I wonder if the less disciplined or less methodical and messy shops simply went out of business).
Add decades of automation and scaling in every part of that process and we get to AMSL machines sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Making software can feel so ad-hoc in comparison.
I am also reminded of the Such Great Heights music video by Postal Service filmed in a clean room. [2]
Sure, at the invention/research step, after that’s done it’s all about sequencing the exact series of steps (robots following the recipe) to get to the output.
Making a chip has been something that has been done completely methodically since their invention (I wonder if the less disciplined or less methodical and messy shops simply went out of business).
Add decades of automation and scaling in every part of that process and we get to AMSL machines sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Making software can feel so ad-hoc in comparison.
I am also reminded of the Such Great Heights music video by Postal Service filmed in a clean room. [2]
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=71705
[2] https://youtu.be/0wrsZog8qXg