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I'd be amazed if there wasn't already a remote way to do this preconfigured. Getting advanced machines to destroy themselves through intentionally bad settings doesn't seem very difficult.

Another option would be just embargoing ongoing supply/support to the fab, which has the benefit of being reversible.

The key part is precommitment and communicating this to the adversary. From Dr. Strangelove (and the real Perimeter/Dead Hand system): "Strangelove : Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world, EH? Ambassador de Sadesky : It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday."

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Just break the air gap and connect the whole system to the wider internet, and let Windows Update do the rest.

Remote seems very dangerous, too easy to have a hacker take down your factory.

I don't know the fab equipment, but my limited understanding is the sheer equipment costs and experience are what limit it to a few places. Would a basic tear down with destruction of sensitive parts be enough to render it obsolete or at least delay greatly any production?

TSMC's chip fab is so complex that to do 7nm chip lithography they had to invent new mirrors for the light they etch the silicon with. It'd probably only take 15 minutes and a hammer to do serious long term damage inside a chip fab plant it's such precise form of manufacturing.

My thought as well. The tolerances are so small that any scratch or dent on a part involved with the lithography means an entirely new part is the only option. Most of the equipment would likely be unusable and unrepairable with a couple well placed kicks.

There's unusable for production (easy; just deleting software or configs would do that for a while!). There's "unusable for extracting information to re-create the tech" which is a bit harder.

> Getting advanced machines to destroy themselves through intentionally bad settings doesn't seem very difficult.

This is how Stuxnet worked on destroying the Iranian centrifuges for the nuclear program.

A shopvac filled with graphite, or perhaps short copper strands, set to blow should do the trick I imagine.

I guess there are always long range missiles.