The semiconductor sector has seen more upheaval over the last 3 years than in the previous 30, fueled by the rise of AI. Nvidia now rivals Microsoft for most valuable company on the planet, while Intel – which started the Microprocessor revolution over 50 years ago – seems to be losing ground, in a downward spiral into complete collapse. What does this mean for our devices – and for the geopolitical balance between the US and China?
geopolichips
Episode 6.02 – 2022 Predictions: I’m a Futurist, not a psychic!
At the start of 2021 I made four big predictions for the year about digital currencies, the transition to a sustainable economy, geopolitics and social media. How did I score? (Hint: I got to grade myself.)
GEOPOLICHIPS #4: Will the next war be fought for control of semiconductors?
TSMC – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation – now fabricates the best computer chips available at any price, transforming Taiwan into a prize that China needs in order to continue its rise as an economic and military superpower.
To service the growing demand for semiconductors, South Korea has committed nearly $200 billion.
TSMC is planning on investing at least $100B over the next four years.
GEOPOLICHIPS #3: How did America lose the semiconductor race?
For sixty years, Intel made the best chips in the world. As of 2020, they no longer do – and a company you’ve likely never heard of now holds the chip-making crown.
One of the key events reported in this episode concerns the firing of Intel Chief Engineering Officer Murthy Renduchintala after the chip maker announced delays in development of its all-important 7-nanometer semiconductors.
Not long after that, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich stepped down.
GEOPOLICHIPS #1: Why is there a global shortage of computer chips?
Manufacturers of video game consoles, automobiles – even toothbrushes – have been impacted by a global shortage of semiconductor integrated circuits – computer chips. How did these devices become so central to everything we make?
Read the amazing Playboy interview with William Shockley below…
Episode 5.03 – Series 5 Predictions: Can we make friends with a superpower China?
Prediction: Our long-running low-level spats with China are the new normal, the Chinese superpower rubbing up against the regional power of Australia.
Series 5 continues with some predictions on geopolitics in this decade, when America and China swap positions, and political power tilts eastward.