Semiconductor Supply Chains and the Security of Technological Power

Semiconductors have become the most strategic industrial resource of the twenty-first century, the foundation on which artificial intelligence, defence modernisation, and economic resilience depend. Their production defines the hierarchy of technological power because every digital system—from autonomous drones to satellite communications—relies on them.

In the age of AI, chips are not just components but enablers of cognition, determining the speed, scale, and sophistication of machine learning. The concentration of fabrication capacity in a few East Asian hubs has therefore transformed microelectronics into a critical vulnerability for Western powers.

This analysis answers: What is the central argument of “Semiconductor Supply Chains and the Security of Technological Power”, and why does it matter for European defence and dual-use markets? What does this mean for European defence funding, procurement and investment decisions? How mature and defensible is the position described in “Semiconductor Supply Chains and the Security of Technological Power”? Which European actors, programmes and funding instruments are most exposed?