Virtually everything runs on chips : cars, phones, the stock market, even the electric grid. Power in the modern world - military, economic, geopolitical - is built on a foundation of computer chips. Until now, America has dominated advances in chips, but that edge is in danger of slipping. China, which spends more on chips than on any other product, is pouring billions into a project to catch up.
The battle to control this industry will shape our future. China is still fundamentally reliant on foreign chips but with over a third of the global supply being made in Taiwan, within easy range of Chinese missiles, the West's fear is that a solution to China's vulnerability may be close at hand. Illuminating, timely and fascinating, Chip War shows that, to make sense of the current state of politics, economics and technology, we must first understand the vital role played by chips.