Semiconductors as the Main Technology of Today: Moore's Law and the Struggle for Technological Dominance

Abstract

The article systematizes six decades of the development of semiconductor technologies, with an emphasis on the global dominance by the United States. The report presents an overview of the current state of this segment of the global economy in its most competitive domain, namely the value chain for the chips utilized in artificial intelligence and mobile devices. This study places particular emphasis on the competition between the US and China in the production of microchips for artificial intelligence in the context of their geopolitical confrontation, growing expectations for AI, and inflated market capitalizations. The analysis provides a consistent examination of the development strategies of the semiconductor industry in four key jurisdictions: the US, China, Taiwan, and the European Union. The article concludes with an analysis of the mounting competition and efforts by the major global actors to establish a presence in the world’s most promising market.