Until the fines/consequences are worse than the profits made, why would they ever stop?

They aren't price fixing anymore. Now it's called CapEx and water start.

You mean "wafer start" as in reducing production to keep prices high?

Exactly

water start?

> Wafer start means the release of one wafer to the fabrication process for processing.

> https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/wafer-start

This may be what he means? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterstart