Archive - Construction Physics

How to Build a $20 Billion Semiconductor Fab

For the last several decades, one avenue of technological progress has towered over nearly everything else: semiconductors.

May 3, 2024 •

Why It's So Hard to Build a Jet Engine

Civilization's toughest technical challenges are those that require extraordinary (and constantly improving) performance to be delivered at a low cost.

Feb 28 •

How to Build 300,000 Airplanes in Five Years

It’s no secret that the Allies won World War II on the back of the U.S.’s enormous industrial output.

May 23, 2024 •

Energy Cheat Sheet

Building an intuition about energy

Dec 20, 2024 •

Understanding Solar Energy

The biggest energy story of the last fifteen years is the rise of solar photovoltaics, also known as solar PV or simply solar panels.

Mar 20 •

How to Build an AI Data Center

This piece is the first in a new series from the Institute for Progress (IFP), called Compute in America: Building the Next Generation of AI…

Jun 10, 2024 •

Why Skyscrapers Became Glass Boxes

Everything put into the building that is unnecessary, every cubic foot that is used for purely ornamental purposes beyond that needed to express its use…

Jan 13 •

50 Things I’ve Learned Writing Construction Physics

I’ve been writing Construction Physics since September of 2020.

Apr 17 •

Will We Ever Get Fusion Power?

“Every one of the stars in the sky uses fusion to generate enormous amounts of energy. Why shouldn’t we?”

Jun 26, 2024 •

Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships?

This post is cross-posted at Noahpinion.

Sep 5, 2024 •

Why Is It So Hard to Build an Airport?

Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure.

Mar 4, 2024 •

How to Build a 50,000 Ton Forging Press

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a revolution took place in American military aircraft design.

Aug 21, 2024 •

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