The Battle Over Semiconductors & US-China Competition | Chris Miller

Hidden Forces

Demetri Kofinas

Government, Business

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2022

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Episode 274 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Chris Miller. Chris is Associate Professor of International History at the graduate school of global affairs at Tufts University. He is also the author of Chip War, which chronicles the geopolitical history of a decades-long battle to control the modern world’s most critical resource: the microchip (or semiconductor) and the commercial industry that supports it.

We spend the first hour discussing the technological, commercial, and distributional characteristics of the existing semiconductor supply chain. Chris explains the various steps involved in the production process, the incentives that operate in the industry, the technological imperatives that inform investment decisions, and the role of government subsidies and regulations, all of which explain the globally distributed and highly efficient nature of the semiconductor industry and why it is more vulnerable than ever to geopolitical disruption.

The second hour is where we focus our attention on the geostrategic dimension of chip competition, the steps that are being taken to reorganize the industry, the efforts being made to build resiliency into various parts of the supply chain, and what the main challenges are to doing that successfully for both the US and China.

The goal of this conversation is to bring clarity to a subject that has not only captivated the public interest but which increasingly determines the national security priorities and strategic investment decisions of the United States and without which the modern world would cease to function.

You can access the full episode, transcript, and intelligence report to this week’s conversation by going directly to the episode page at HiddenForces.io and clicking on "premium extras." All subscribers gain access to our premium feed, which can be easily added to your favorite podcast application.

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Episode Recorded on 09/27/2022

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's up everybody? My name is the Major Caffeinus and you're listening to Hidden Forces,
0:06.3	a podcast that inspires investors, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens to challenge consensus
0:13.4	narratives and to learn how to think critically, but the systems of power shaping our world.
0:19.3	My guest in this episode is Chris Miller. Chris is associate professor of international
0:24.5	history at the Graduate School of Global Affairs at Tufts University. He is also the
0:29.7	author of a new book out tomorrow titled Chip War, which chronicles the history of a decades
0:36.4	long battle to control what has emerged as the modern world's most critical resource,
0:41.8	the microchip, the commercial industry that supports it. Chris and I spend the first hour of
0:47.6	our conversation discussing the technological, commercial and distributional characteristics
0:53.6	of the existing semiconductor supply chain, the various steps involved in the production process
0:59.3	that stretches across various companies and geographies, the incentives that operate in the
1:04.6	industry, the technological imperatives that inform investment decisions, things like product
1:09.6	life cycles and capital requirements, and the role of government subsidies and regulations,
1:15.8	all of which help to explain how the industry has evolved to look the way that it does today,
1:21.6	a globalized and highly efficient network that is more vulnerable than ever to geopolitical
1:27.4	disruption. The second hour is where Chris and I focus our attention on the geostrategic
1:33.4	dimensions of chip competition, the steps that are being taken to reorganize the industry,
1:39.2	the efforts being made to build resiliency into various parts of the supply chain and production
1:45.3	and manufacturing process, and what the main challenges are to doing that successfully,
1:50.8	for not only the United States and its allies, but for China as well. My goal in this conversation
1:57.4	is to bring clarity to a subject that has not only captivated the public interest,
2:01.7	but which increasingly determines the national security priorities and strategic investment
	...

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