The fragility of the AI boom is that supply isn’t the only constraint—power is. The U.S. is pouring new energy into rebuilding the chip industry at home, but the real story is how fast the demand for computing is growing.
In this episode, Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology, helps us explore why semiconductors became a geopolitical battleground and how interdependence in the supply chain raises the stakes for everyone. We talk about Texas becoming a new center for chip investment, the choke points standing in the way of scale, and what leaders can do now to map and manage their exposure.
Topics discussed:
Chris’s background and inspiration for his book (0:33)
Why you can’t understand chips without the global supply chain (04:01)
Origins of the industry in the Texas (04:45)
The surprising turning point in the industry (06:31)
Interdependence between the U.S., China, and Taiwan (08:59)
Choke points: tooling, materials, and coordination (11:42)
The pros and cons of onshoring (12:58)
Who will win the technological race? (14:33)
The power problem for AI and data centers (15:37)
How the AI boom has impacted the chip industry (16:22)
Nvidia, in-house chip design, and the future (17:29)
Why security and trust are becoming bigger issues (21:00)
AI adoption and which industries are disrupted first (22:42)
Advice to corporations on supply chain and resilience (23:20)
Government’s role in the investment of chips (25:44)
The biggest consumer shift AI will drive next (30:26)
Website:
https://www.talon-cap.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/talon-capital-corp/
Contact:
contact@talon-cap.com