Semiconductor Supply Chains and the Security of Technological Power

Semiconductors have become the most strategic industrial resource of the twenty-first century, the foundation on which artificial intelligence, defence modernisation, and economic resilience depend. Their production defines the hierarchy of technological power because every digital system—from autonomous drones to satellite communications—relies on them. In the age of AI, chips are not just components but enablers of cognition, determining the speed, scale, and sophistication of machine learning. The concentration of fabrication capacity in a few East Asian hubs has therefore transformed microelectronics into a critical vulnerability for Western powers. The global economy functions on the assumption of uninterrupted chip supply; yet, the same concentration that delivers efficiency creates exposure. Whoever controls the design and manufacturing of semiconductors holds the key to both economic growth and strategic deterrence. Industrial policy, defence planning, and foreign investment now converge around the imperative of securing access to silicon.