logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
32 m

What are semiconductors, and why are the...

World Economic Forum
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Jul 29
From 'polycrisis' to 'polytunity' - the future of geopolitics with Prof Yuen Yuen Ang
"Polycrisis" was a term coined to describe the convergence of multiple global challenges: political polarisation, conflicts, and the breakdown of post-World War Two norms on issues such as trade and security. Yuen Yuen Ang, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins Universit ... Show More
32m 44s
Jul 23
"Not just small men" - how healthcare is failing women, and what can be done
Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men and are 50% more likely to die of a heart attack than a male patient. The statistics are staggering - but there are some relatively simple and cost-effective ways healthcare systems can improve the situation. Lucy Perez ... Show More
30m 3s
Jul 16
From 'US innovates, China imitates' to 'Opportunity 2.0' - lessons from Summer Davos
"One of the most common refrains you used to hear 10 years ago was 'US innovates, China imitates, and Europe regulates'. Today, I don't hear that anymore." Aparna Bharadwaj, a managing director at Boston Consulting Group, joins us to analyse what we learned about geopolitics and ... Show More
56m 3s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
A War For Chips: The Semiconductor Episode
The modern world runs on microchips and semiconductors. There's no way around it -- and the semiconductor business is perhaps one of the most important industries on the planet. But there are some serious problems (and conspiracies) on the horizon. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt ... Show More
1h 9m
May 2024
William Hague on Taiwan and the fight for the world’s most critical technology
Our modern world is built on chips; they control everything from our cars to the stock market, dishwashers to missile systems, computers to - potentially soon - augmented humans. But with China and America battling for control over production - and about ninety percent of advance ... Show More
25m 55s
Apr 2023
How Chips Rule the Modern World — with Chris Miller
Chris Miller, an Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University, and the author of “Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology,” joins Scott to discuss how chips became the new oil, who the major players are, and how these tiny materials create ... Show More
47m 7s
Jul 2024
The two companies driving the modern economy
At the core of most of the electronics we use today are some very tiny, very powerful chips. Semiconductor chips. And they are mighty: they help power our phones, laptops, and cars. They enable advances in healthcare, military systems, transportation, and clean energy. And they'r ... Show More
20m 15s
Nov 2024
The geopolitics of chips: A manufacturing miracle
<p>Semiconductors are one of the most complex and technically difficult pieces of hardware to make in the world – which is why they’ve become a flashpoint for tensions between the US and China. For years, semiconductor technology has advanced at a breakneck pace - but there are s ... Show More
31m 10s
Jan 2024
The race to secure semiconductor supply chains
Semiconductors hit the news during the Covid-19 pandemic, as issues with supply chains led to shortages of cars and soaring prices. Since then, geopolitical tensions have impacted the industry. 90% of the world's most advanced chips are made by TSMC in Taiwan. Now, countries all ... Show More
18m 21s
Dec 2024
The geopolitics of chips: Chips in the USA
<p>The next superpower will be a tech superpower, and to be that superpower you need to have some control over the semiconductor industry which is driving the AI revolution. But almost all advanced semiconductors are made in Taiwan — and it is under constant threat of a Chinese i ... Show More
27m 8s
Oct 2022
This Is What the US Just Did to China on Semiconductors
Earlier this month, the Biden administration unveiled a new set of restrictions on exporting semiconductors and related technology to China. The actions are seen as a significant escalation of an ongoing effort to constrain China's domestic chip ambitions. But semiconductor diplo ... Show More
47m 14s
May 2021
How to Make the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Boom Again
This year, everyone's become aware of the hollowing out of U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capacity. Whether it's the rise of TSMC, the stumbles at Intel, or the inability of car companies to acquire much-needed chips, semiconductors are becoming a major political issue. But how ... Show More
51m 11s