With China seeking AI dominance, Taiwan’s efforts to slow neighbor’s access to advanced chips needs support from the West

Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te gives a speech at the CommonWealth Semiconductor Forum in 2023 in Taipei, Taiwan. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

Tensions between China, Taiwan and the U.S. aren’t limited to aerial military maneuvers and drills on the high seas. The shadow conflict is also playing out in the technological arena.

One of the central drivers of the deepening geopolitical rifts between China on one side and Taiwan and the U.S. on the other is dominance over global semiconductor supply chains. This is because semiconductors – or microchips – power everything from smartphones and home office software to critical infrastructure and advanced military hardware.