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

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.
If you have questions about our genius tier, which includes access to the Hidden Forces community, Q&A calls with guests, in-person events, and dinners, you can learn more at hiddenforces.i.... If you have further questions, feel free to send an email to [e-mail], and Demetri or someone else from our team will get right back to you.
If you enjoyed listening to today’s episode of Hidden Forces you can help support the show by doing the following:
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | KZbin | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed
Write us a review on Apple Podcasts at apple.co/3fLSIgR
Write us a review on Spotify at spoti.fi/3tv4zYr
Subscribe to our mailing list at hiddenforces.i...
Subscribe & Support the Podcast at hiddenforces.io
Follow Hidden Forces on Twitter: / hiddenforcespod
Follow Demetri on Twitter: / kofinas
Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas
Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou
Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas
Episode Recorded on 09/27/2022

[@eugenekramer4528]

The professor did a pretty good job describing the semiconductor industry. Before retirement I was in the industry. My input to this discussion is one word: people. We need to gradate a lot more people with degrees in engineering, and other hard sciences. We also need good technicians who can operate those machines.

[@AndreAndFriends]

Not possible. Our politicians are very busy to maximize the bribes Not high Tech advantage. Then there is EPA. They manage to force every single fab from California to move out of state or shut down. Even the few fabs from CalTech that I know of got shut down by EPA

[@sebastianmuller4649]

Begins at 3:15

[@AndreAndFriends]

This one is the best

[@m3tamonk3y4]

The picture makes it look like you're interviewing Jarrod the Traitor.

[@Stephen-we6do]

You can tell this person is American by how they view US foreign policy and fail to mention how this is mostly done by the US escalation.

[@kreek22]

Since 1945 US escalation has been impossible. How does the world's owner escalate? He doesn't. His peons escalate, then he squashes them. Russia is experiencing a soft version of the squash presently. Iran has been undergoing this process for 43 years. China has requested squashing and squashing is incoming.

[@AndreAndFriends]

@@kreek22 SQUASHING LOL 😆 🤣 😂

[@BerryRuby]

Unbelievable his comments about China and “Vaccines” - surely to God…?