Computer chips built the modern world. What happens if we can't get them?
Chris Miller’s ‘Chip War’ exposes the fragility of one of the world’s most critical supply chains.
Whoever wins the chip war will win the world.
This is the essence of Chris Miller’s Chip War, the incredibly gripping, well researched, well expounded story of the tension between the world’s appetite for semiconductors and the current constraints in their production.
It’s a strange story of supply and demand — one that Econ 101 is hardly equipped to deal with. Modern semiconductor supply chains are unbelievably precarious, relying on just a handful of companies in extremely compromising geopolitical conditions. On the surface, the semiconductor industry is praised for being a truly globalised operation, but in practice, this simply means an entire planet is dependent on approximately two companies in two countries.
Life without semiconductors has become unthinkable. It’s not just Instagram that is enabled by computer chips; it’s virtually every aspect of our lives, from our jobs, to our cars, to the knowledge that the grocery store shelves will be stocked when we walk in tomorrow.
Beyond daily life, semiconductors are also the basis for virtually all modern military and intelligence action. “The future of war will be defined by computing power,” says Miller, who explores just what could go wrong if the war for semiconductors is won by the other side.
I listened to the audiobook and didn’t love the rather nasal and monotone narrator, but this book’s premise was so strong, it overcame it.
Author: Chris Miller
About: The current state of the computer chip industry — and what that means for the world
Rating: 4/5
Did you read Chip War? Let me know what you thought.
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