The History of the Semiconductor Industry

Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Chris Miller, author of the recent New York Times bestseller Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology, about one of the central elements of the US-China confrontation: semiconductors. Topics discussed include:
- Which chips are more critical: advanced or foundational (aka mature)
- The history of how Taiwan's TSMC had become the world's #1 chipmaker and China's attempts to follow in their footsteps
- The effect of US export controls on China's semiconductor industry and China's retaliatory options
- Why Taiwan chose to undermine its own Silicon Shield strategy
- Whether the US is likely to attempt to destroy Taiwan's fabs if China succeeds in conquering the island
- Whether the US chips fabs can be price-competitive with Asian manufacturers?
- Why Korea will likely not become the new Taiwan as a world leader in semiconductor manufacturing
- And much more

Music: "Trade War" by Zhao Liangtian (https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3012160/man-behind-viral-chinese-hit-trade-war-turns-volume-singing)