Chips & Chains

From smartphones to satellites, semiconductors are the hidden infrastructure of modern life. These tiny wafers of silicon drive our economies, connect our societies, and power the technologies that define the twenty-first century. But behind their ubiquity lies a story of fragility and rivalry-an intricate global supply chain vulnerable to disruption, and a geopolitical struggle over who controls the future of chips.Chips & Chains: The New Geopolitics of Semiconductors takes readers on a journey from the physics of the transistor to the multibillion-dollar fabs that anchor national strategies. It traces how Japan once dominated memory, how Korea and Taiwan rose to global prominence, how the United States retained leadership in design, and how China’s push for self-reliance has collided with export controls. Along the way, it reveals why Europe’s ASML holds one of the most strategic monopolies in the world, why Southeast Asia’s back-end operations are indispensable, and why national policies such as the CHIPS Act have elevated semiconductors to the center of political debate.Combining history, industry analysis, and geopolitical insight, Sky Adler shows how semiconductors have become the 'oil of the digital age'-a resource whose control determines not only economic prosperity but also military power. This is not just the story of technology, but of the future of global order written in silicon.