“Chip War” and Its Implications for Japanese Industrial and Security Policies #1 (Presentation)

With Chris Miller, Associate Professor of International History at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

Semiconductors are as important to the 21st century economy as oil was in the past. They are the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips. Virtually everything—from missiles to microwaves, smartphones to the stock market—runs on chips. Today, an alliance of companies from the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and South Korea designed and manufacture the most advanced chips. However, China is catching up rapidly. Moreover, Taiwan, which today produces 90% of the world’s most advanced processor chips, faces a growing military threat from Beijing. The future of the chip industry will therefore shape the geopolitical balance of power.

This presentation is republished from RIETI.