The race to control advanced semiconductor technology will shape the future of national security, economic competitiveness and geopolitical influence, according to historian and policy expert Chris Miller, who delivered a keynote address at Vanderbilt University during the fourth annual Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats.
Miller, associate professor of international history at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology, delivered a keynote address at the summit, emphasizing that semiconductors are the central battleground in a global struggle for technological and geopolitical dominance.
“There’s no organization that has benefited more from increased computing than the U.S. military,” Miller said. “It has managed to deploy computing not just to guide weapon systems, but to build constellations of satellites that can tell you your location … or break into the most complicated encryption algorithms.”
The world’s most complex and globally interdependent supply chain—semiconductor manufacturing—is concentrated in a few highly vulnerable locations, Miller said.
“Today, there’s one company in the world, Taiwan’s TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), that can manufacture cutting-edge processors far better than anyone,” he said. “Ninety percent of the world’s most advanced chips … are manufactured by TSMC in Taiwan.”
He warned that the pace of competition, especially between the U.S. and China, is accelerating. “China has made clear that it sees the development of advanced computing and AI as a central pillar of its economic and military strategy,” Miller said. “The U.S. needs to respond with a strategy that is equally focused and long-term.”
During a fireside chat moderated by Doug Adams, executive director of the Institute of National Security, Daniel F. Flowers Chair and distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering and professor of mechanical engineering, Miller suggested how that strategy might look, including moving advanced manufacturing to the U.S., investing in domestic research and development, and ensuring that workers are well trained.
“The CHIPS and Science Act is a down payment,” Miller said, referring to the 2022 U.S. legislation aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing. “It doesn’t solve the problem on its own. What’s needed is a comprehensive and sustained national strategy.”
Just like the 20th century was shaped by control over oil, Miller said the 21st century will be shaped by control over computing power. Computing has become a foundational capability not just for warfighting, but for economic productivity and scientific progress.
Tools used to manufacture the most advanced chips come from a handful of firms in the Netherlands, Japan and the U.S., he said, making collaboration and coordination with allies vital.
“The U.S. doesn’t control the whole supply chain, and it never will,” he said. “What we do have is an ecosystem of allies and partners who share our interests in keeping this technology open and secure.”
Adams asked what universities like Vanderbilt can do to help, and Miller responded: “You can’t compete in the chip race—or the AI race—without engineers, computer scientists and advanced researchers. Universities are where that future is built.”