Martijn Rasser: The Geopolitics of Semiconductors

Описание: The semiconductor shortage of the last year has exacerbated geopolitical tensions, particularly between the U.S, China, and in the Indo-Pacific region. It has also highlighted, once again, the extremely complex and interlinked nature of global supply chains. The shortage has had ripple effects throughout the entire global economy, impacting military, telecommunications, and automotive sectors. Martijn Rasser contextualizes the importance of semiconductors, as well as the impacts of the global shortage, within the larger picture of U.S-Chinese technology competition.


Could China use military force to control Taiwan’s chip manufacturing as it seeks to indigenize its own semiconductor fabrication? What will happen if Western democracies fail to multilaterally strengthen supply chains and stave off the massive disruption caused by this past year’s chip shortage? Semiconductors are foundational to the modern economy—the engines behind much of our critical infrastructure. They will continue to be a fundamental element and determinant of global technology competition. Whoever has access to the best semiconductors and secure supply chains will be at the forefront of economic and political power in the 21st century.


Martijn Rasser is a Senior Fellow in the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

Prior to joining CNAS, Mr. Rasser served as a senior intelligence officer and analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked on foreign emerging technologies, technology innovation, and weapons research & development. He also served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, special advisor to a senior military commander in the Middle East, chief counterterrorism liaison to a U.S. military unit in Iraq, and vice chairman of a National Intelligence Council (NIC) working group.

Upon leaving government service, Mr. Rasser served as Chief of Staff at Muddy Waters Capital, an investment research firm focused on investigating business fraud, accounting fraud, and fundamental problems. More recently, Mr. Rasser was Director of Analysis at Kyndi, a venture-backed AI startup in Silicon Valley.


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