Why computer chips have major geopolitical and national-security implications (with Chris Miller)

Should US semiconductor chip manufacturers move their fabrication plants onto American soil? Should we be offering migration incentives for high-tech chip engineers from Taiwan in order to onshore design and engineering? What role, if at all, should the government play in subsidizing the construction of these plants for US companies? These and other questions remain unsettled when it comes to the geopolitical challenges around semiconductor design, production, and trade.

On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane and AEI Senior Fellow Claude Barfield reunite for a joint conversation with Chris Miller — a new Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow in AEI’s Foreign and Defense Policy department. Chris is also an assistant professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and directs the Eurasia program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Chris recently published an FPRI report titled “Labs over fabs: How the US should invest in the future of semiconductors,” and will be releasing a book on the geopolitical history of semiconductors this year. His work frequently appears in national news outlets and opinion columns — including Foreign Affairs and The New York Times.

Chris joins the podcast to discuss his expansive portfolio on the semiconductor industry, Congress’ attempts to guide US chip production, and how chip manufacturing is indefinitely tied to national security.