There's been some discussion recently about Huawei specifically and the wisdom of using their products in America and its allies. How much is that a genuine concern about security and the possibility of if you buy somebody's chips actually, you're giving them access to your most sensitive equipment and communications networks? And how much is it just a commercial choice, just saying we don't want you to develop an independent microprocessor industry"? Well, I think the question of Huawei's telecom gear should be examined somewhat separately from the question of chip production because they are different technologies. But I think in both of them, you see strategic concerns by far outweighing economic concerns. It's economically costly for countries to turn down Chinese
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We live in a world which is completely dependent on the technology of microchips, which are made up of millions of transistors which are so small, about one thousandth of the size of a red blood cell. Making something this small and this complex is not something that can be easily replicated, meaning the world relies on just a handful of companies and countries to supply these chips. So how did we get here? And how is the scarcity of this resource affecting some of the world’s crucial geopolitical tensions? To find out more, we’re joined by Chris Miller, Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University and author of Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. Our host for this episode is presenter and comedian, Timandra Harkness.
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