24 – Chip War: Mastering Tech, Geopolitics & the China Challenge

Chris Miller, author of the bestselling and highly-awarded “Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology”, sits down with Ben and Aaron to chat about his book, and how the semiconductor industry is redrawing the current map of geopolitical risk – from the Taiwan Strait to Europe and the US. Miller also talks about how corresponding American and European risk assessments of the likelihood of an increasingly aggressive China differ – and what’s needed to properly assess the risk around this critical industry.

Ben, Aaron and Chris draw key lessons from the semiconductor industry’s history – including the role it played in winning the cold war – and highlight how democracies need to activate their advantages to prevail once more.

Guests:

• Chris Miller, Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University and Author, “Chip War” (@crmiller1)

Resources:

• Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology, Chris Miller
• The US Chips Act has been surprisingly successful so far, Chris Miller, Financial Times
• The geopolitics of semi-conductors and what Europe can expect, Alicia Garcia-Herrero
• The Long Hard Road to Decoupling from China, Andrew A. Michta, The City Journal (2020)
• Why the EU can be tougher on China, Sander Tordoir and Zach Meyers, Centre for European Reform
• Is Canada Ready to Pay a “National Security Premium”?, Aaron Gasch Burnett, Open Canada
• Strategy on China of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, (2023)
• Chip Diplomacy - Analysis of technology partnerships, Jan-Peter Kleinhans (2023), Stiftung Neue Verantwortung

This podcast is an original production of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). It was created as part of DGAP's Action Group Zeitenwende.

Follow DGAP & the hosts on social media:

Dr. Benjamin Tallis

Aaron Gasch Burnett

DGAP on X

DGAP on Instagram

DGAP on LinkedIn