Chris Miller is an Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University. Besides Chip War he's written three other books, all of which explore Russian economic policies.
Chip War begins, predictably, with the birth of the semiconductor industry. From there it moves on to the development of this technology in the United States and the export of semiconductor manufacturing processes into Asia.
But the technology, of course, is only half of the story. There are also geopolitical factors at play, many of which go back to the Cold War, and some of which extend to increasing tensions between China and the United States. Caught between the two superpowers is the tiny island nation of Taiwan, where most of the cutting edge semiconductor manufacturing technology happens to be located.
I think Chip War offers a good overview of why the world depends on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, and also why Taiwan is of such strategic importance. It's not just Taiwan's presence along major shipping lanes, and it's not just a Western desire to encircle China. It's also an industry centered around a very, very important fabrication facility in Taiwan, the existence of which both attracts and repels its much larger, communist neighbor.
If you're interested in the topic I think you'll find Chip War a rewarding read. It's not as in-depth as it pretends to be, and the geopolitical ramifications of this "chip war" could have been explored in greater detail, but it's a good introduction to the topic, if not the summative work I hoped it would be.
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