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Chip War
- The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
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Chip War
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Summary
***Selected as one of Barack Obama's Favourite Books of 2023***
'Pulse quickening. A nonfiction thriller - equal parts The China Syndrome and Mission Impossible' New York Times
An epic account of the decades-long battle to control the world's most critical resource—microchip technology
Power in the modern world - military, economic, geopolitical - is built on a foundation of computer chips. America has maintained its lead as a superpower because it has dominated advances in computer chips and all the technology that chips have enabled. (Virtually everything runs on chips: cars, phones, the stock market, even the electric grid.) Now that edge is in danger of slipping, undermined by the naïve assumption that globalising the chip industry and letting players in Taiwan, Korea and Europe take over manufacturing serves America's interests. Currently, as Chip War reveals, China, which spends more on chips than any other product, is pouring billions into a chip-building Manhattan Project to catch up to the US.
In Chip War economic historian Chris Miller recounts the fascinating sequence of events that led to the United States perfecting chip design, and how faster chips helped defeat the Soviet Union (by rendering the Russians’ arsenal of precision-guided weapons obsolete). The battle to control this industry will shape our future. China spends more money importing chips than buying oil, and they are China's greatest external vulnerability as they are fundamentally reliant on foreign chips. But with 37 per cent of the global supply of chips being made in Taiwan, within easy range of Chinese missiles, the West's fear is that a solution may be close at hand.
'A riveting history. Features vivid accounts and colourful characters' Financial Times
'Fascinating…A historian by training, Miller walks the reader through decades of semiconductor history – a subject that comes to life thanks to [his] use of colorful anecdotes' Forbes
'Indispensable' Niall Ferguson
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Y
- 12-09-23
Slow start
Perhaps a slow start for listeners who are already reasonably familiar with the history of semiconductors. I skipped 20 chapters directly into the 90s.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Richard Norton
- 21-03-24
Excellent overview of the semiconductor industry and the importance of Taiwan
Super overview of key semiconductor developments and players like Taiwan’s TSMC, demise of Intel etc
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Niall Marshall
- 31-01-23
Informative, compelling summary of chip industry
A really interesting account of the development of the computer chip and its effect on war and geopolitics
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- João André França
- 28-04-23
Amazing approach on how the Tech world controls everything!
Chip War is a deep approach on how America, Japan, China and Russia rule the world of tech and its components. A truly detailed and informative depth on how everything we use from smartphones to home routers are linked together by companies we may or may never heard of but play an incremental part in delivering the necessary approach to push humanity forward. 10/10 and a must read for all tech enthusiasts and world economy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jdp
- 17-11-23
Fascinating and terrifying!
It is breathtaking how much has been achieved in chip design and manufacturing and it is absolutely shocking how… fragile… the entire industry is!
This is a essential reading; it will change your perspective on many things!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Just awesome!
- 21-02-24
Very insigthfull book!
Great narration with a lot of insights over the past development and historical growth of Semicon industry vs the potential future and the associated risks around it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rui Ribeiro
- 22-02-23
Compelling, well written and narrated
A very well written, well narrated, very interesting book.
Covers a bit of history of the integrated circuits and explains how the industry has evolved to the point where it gained a strategic value and is now a strategic battleground between the ruling and the aspiring powers. It is rather fascinating how the current situation came to be and the author leaves a not so veiled criticism of the US laissez faire policy that sort of gave away the control of chip related technologies now crucial both economically and militarily. The pivotal role of Taiwan in the chip industry is one of the relevant issues addressed and it is also an open question, well summarized by the current Taiwanese president's opinion that her role in the chip industry is also key for Taiwan to remain independent of mainland China.
A thoroughly enjoyable reading.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. OJ Morris
- 02-02-23
Fascinating book. Lots of info, but flows really well
This was a fascinating book. It covers a lot of technical info, but is presented so well that it doesn’t feel heavy, or a hard slog
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- Anonymous User
- 11-05-23
Massive story
This book is so intelligent:-)
You may understand much better the things happen in the world after reading this book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Craig Rogers
- 22-11-23
Great, factual, detailed and heavy
If you like factual, unemotional, heavy, non fiction then knock yourself out with this audio book.
I really enjoyed it. Goes into detail on the history, economics, politics and global dependency the world has on semiconductors.
A good outline of the technology when it emerged post World War II up to present day from smartphones, home computers and everyday appliances to the military and modern warfare.
I find the subject matter fascinating so I was an easy customer. It’s not light reading but then I guess I knew that before starting it.
Eye opening on how the semiconductor/chip industry came into being and scary how certain nations are really getting ahead in this field (not to mention any names…….China).
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