Techno-Nationalism

Chapter 7Semiconductor Ground Zero

It has become a cliché to say that semiconductors are the heart and brains of all modern technologies. But it is true.

In 2021, an estimated 900 billion microchips were produced and shipped worldwide, going into virtually every kind of product from coffee makers and automobiles to advanced fighter jets.¹ Those numbers are increasing rapidly as we produce ‘smart’ things that generate more data and are linked through a growing number of connections and networks.

By 2030, it is estimated that some 5 trillion microchips will find their way into our everyday devices, making semiconductors, by far, the most widely produced and consumed commodity ever.

In modern society, semiconductors have become as much a utility as water, electricity and transportation infrastructure. Governments must assure constant access to them if they are to govern effectively and maintain stable and productive economies and societies.

Also referred to as ‘microchips’ or ‘chips,’ semiconductors are essential for advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) in all its manifestations, including machine learning and neural networks. But they are also the ground-zero technology for the other twelve twenty-first century foundational technologies.

CHIP-CENTRIC GEOPOLITICS

Chips enable both commercial and military functionality. Therefore, U.S. policymakers have resorted to everything in their techno-nationalist toolbox to maintain and extend American chip-tech advantages. Beijing, ...