Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology is a 2022 nonfiction book written by Chris Miller, an economic historian. It tells about the transformation of the semiconductor into an essential component of contemporary life. Miller describes in detail some of the geopolitical battles. The book received the 2022 Financial Times Business Book of the Year award.

Overview
Miller's book Chip War highlights how the creation of high-speed chips played an instrumental role in overcoming the Soviet Union by rendering their precision-guided weaponry ineffective. The quest for control in this industry is predicted to significantly influence future times. The book also emphasizes China's vulnerability due to its reliance on imported chips, noting that China's expenditure on chip importation exceeds its oil purchases.

Critical reception
Financial Times journalist Demetri Sevastopulo commended the book for making a complex industry comprehensible. Sevastopulo appreciated Miller's detailed depiction of the chip industry's fluctuations, not just within the U.S., but also in Asian countries that control large portions of the supply chain for this indispensable technology.

Global Policy evaluated Chip War as potentially the most comprehensive book on the microchip industry's geopolitics so far. The review acknowledged Miller's wide-ranging coverage, from the industry's modest origins in Silicon Valley to its current state of "weaponized interdependence", concentrated primarily near the Taiwan Strait.

Barry Eichengreen, writing for Foreign Affairs, noted that Miller displays a smooth storytelling style. However, he completed the book prior to the implementation of recent U.S. policies that aim to restrict China's access to advanced chip-making technology. Eichengreen also pointed out that the book doesn't draw conclusions on the potential effectiveness of U.S. export controls in curbing the growth of China's semiconductor industry, or whether these measures might simply provoke China into intensifying its support for the industry or even taking forceful action against Taiwan.

Greg Mankiw writing on his blog stated that the book: "It is a fascinating history of the semiconductor industry. Relevant for not only economics but also geopolitics. Highly recommended."