Semiconductors: An underappreciated strategic resource
'If you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.' - Quote sometimes attributed to Theodore Roosevelt Semiconductors are the unsung heroes of today’s tech revolution. Whether it is end products such as smartphones, tablets, phablets, PCs, Macs, etc., or applications such as search engines, operating systems,the workhorse remains the semiconductor. Semiconductors are the heart of civilian and military applications alike, and thus in my view a key (albeit relatively ignored) strategic resource. See below chart for estimated use mix per Gartner, Deloitte: For a product that is so embedded in our day-to-day life, and likewise critical to military applications, including high performance computing, AI, and IoT, the entire semiconductor ecosystem is rather tightly controlled by a small group of companies. For example, only two companies manufacture the most advanced semiconductors at scale: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), and Samsung.