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OPINION NOVEMBER 03, 2023 | The Indian Eye 10

Semiconductor War: Assessing the Strategies

and Impact of US Led Technology Decoupling

For over a decade now, both the US and China have been racing to develop

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to gain a competitive edge which will assist to
secure even greater power, wealth, status and influence

RAJNEESH SINGH

n 16 September 2022, US Na-
tional Security Advisor Jake
OSullivan announced a change
in the US policy of being “only a cou-
ple of generations ahead” of China
in key technologies to maintaining
“as large of a lead as possible”. The
Biden administration has identified
three families of technologies which
will be of particular importance over
the coming decade and one of them
is computing-related technologies,
including microelectronics, quantum
information systems and artificial
intelligence. Preserving the lead and
denying the same to the competitors
in these arenas are being advanced by
the administration as a “national se-
curity” issue. The US has also secured
the commitment of its allies and part-
ners to choke China’s semiconductor
industry and “reduce collective reli-
ance on Asia” of EU–US alignment China has been investing huge sums of money to further its semiconductor ambitions. The China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund,
on rare earths. The US efforts to limit
the advancements around the world also known as the ‘Big Fund’, has launched three funds till date (File photo)
in this field of science and technolo-
gy is poised to define the geopolitical tally identify and track targets using In 2017, China went on to re- prevent the batteries from draining
landscape of the 21st century. surveillance assets, which will assist lease its AI strategy, China’s New out quickly, a crucial requirement for
This Brief will examine the stra- in furthering combat efficiency by Generation Artificial Intelligence both data center operations and ter-
tegic motivation behind the US at- employing data technology. Maven Development Plan. This aspiration- minal devices.
tempts to decouple from China in is one of hundreds of AI initiatives al document sets out a top-level de- High-end semiconductor chips,
the field of advanced chip manufac- being pursued by the Pentagon. The sign blueprint charting the country’s therefore, are the backbone of AI de-
turing and key challenges faced by then-Deputy Defense Secretary Bob approach to developing AI technol- velopment and deployment. They are
the US and its allies in these efforts. Work established the Algorithmic ogy and applications, setting broad indispensable to AI ecosystem and
The Brief will thereafter highlight Warfare Cross-Functional Team, goals up to 2030. China declassified have a direct bearing on advance-
opportunities and challenges decou- which is overseen by the Defense Un- its AI strategy four years before the ments of weapon platforms and sur-
pling of China presents for India for dersecretary for Intelligence (known US National Security Commission veillance systems. The chips provide
its semiconductor ambitions. as the USDI), under Project Maven. on Artificial Intelligence released its the necessary computational power,
In the history of warfare, the hu- Advanced AI chips are central to this final report. This realization of the energy efficiency, and specialized
man ability to innovate and employ effort. importance of AI and semiconduc- hardware to make AI applications
latest technology have been decisive Recognizing the importance of tors provided the necessary impetus and research feasible and efficient.
factors in winning wars. For over a AI for warfare, the Chinese govern- to the Chinese government to make Even as AI continues to advance, the
decade now, both the US and China ment announced US$ 100 billion in self-reliance in chip manufacturing a role of high-end chips will remain
have been racing to develop Artificial semiconductor industry subsidies in national priority. central to its development.
Intelligence (AI) and other emerging 2014. In 2015, China’s State Council High-end chips come with suf- The advancements in science
technologies to gain a competitive published Made in China 2025, with ficient memory and memory band- and technology will define the geo-
edge which will assist to secure even the objective of manufacturing semi- width to handle data-intensive political landscape of the 21st cen-
greater power, wealth, status and in- conductors by 2025 and replacing workloads, such as natural language tury including new military and in-
fluence. imports with Chinese-made prod- processing and computer vision, ef- telligence capabilities that will shape
In April 2017, the US initiated ucts. China launched these initiatives ficiently. High-end chips are also national security. The US has, there-
Project Maven to accelerate AI ca- two years before Project Maven was energy efficient. Energy efficiency fore, made preserving technological
pabilities that will enable it to digi- launched by the US. of advanced semiconductor chips Continued on next page... >>

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