Chip War: The Quest to Dominate the World's Most Critical Technology
Written by Chris Miller
Narrated by Stephen Graybill
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
The Financial Times Business Book of the Year, this epic account of the decades-long battle to control one of the world’s most critical resources—microchip technology—with the United States and China increasingly in fierce competition is “pulse quickening…a nonfiction thriller” (The New York Times).
You may be surprised to learn that microchips are the new oil—the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips. Virtually everything—from missiles to microwaves—runs on chips, including cars, smartphones, the stock market, even the electric grid. Until recently, America designed and built the fastest chips and maintained its lead as the #1 superpower, but America’s edge is in danger of slipping, undermined by players in Taiwan, Korea, and Europe taking over manufacturing. Now, as Chip War reveals, China, which spends more on chips than any other product, is pouring billions into a chip-building initiative to catch up to the US. At stake is America’s military superiority and economic prosperity.
Economic historian Chris Miller explains how the semiconductor came to play a critical role in modern life and how the US became dominant in chip design and manufacturing and applied this technology to military systems. America’s victory in the Cold War and its global military dominance stems from its ability to harness computing power more effectively than any other power. Until recently, China had been catching up, aligning its chip-building ambitions with military modernization.
Illuminating, timely, and fascinating, Chip War is “an essential and engrossing landmark study" (London Times).
Editor's Note
U.S. losing its lead…
The rise of technology and the IoT (internet of things) means more devices than ever are controlled by microchips. It’s no longer just computers and smartphones, but also cars, home appliances, solar panels, and more. In short, the world runs on chips. For years, America led in microchip innovation and advancement, but China is gaining ground. Miller explores the policies, both governmental and corporate, that led to the U.S. losing its lead, as well as the economic and political fallout we can expect if nothing changes.
Chris Miller
Chris Miller is assistant professor of international history in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
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Reviews for Chip War
246 ratings8 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a very informative and detailed illustration of the industry history and contemporary competitive landscape. It provides a sneak peek into the future of hardware and its influence on geopolitics. The book is well written and narrated, making it a must-read to understand current geopolitical events. However, some readers found the narration to be clunky and robotic, and there were issues with the recording. Overall, it is an amazing non-fiction audio book that presents an ocean of information from different perspectives.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hugely informative and entertaining. If you are just a little bit interested in the history of technology, you should read (or listen to) this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Comprehensive review of the history of the semiconductor industry and analysis of the current status and possible future challenges. Excellent book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was the best non fiction audio book i’ve ever listened to - amazingly informative, with an ocean of information that’s been re-presented from each country and regions perspective as the history and story unfolded. Truly outstanding!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very informative and detailed illustration of the industry history and contemporary competitive landscape. The book is so well structured that readers could learn through the industry evolution without prior knowledge on semiconductors.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Best sneak peek into the future of hardware part of technology and it's influence on geo politics od the mid 21st century.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well written and narrated. An absolute must to understand geopolitical events taking place today.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Book was amazing but it seemed like there was something wrong with the recording, some bits were dead air and other times it seemed to skip.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I think the book is good but the Narration is clunky and robotic… Will read the book rather than attempt to listen to it…
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