KBS Documentary Insight (Thursday at 10 PM on KBS 1TV) “The Ultimate Weapon: Semiconductors” (Aired on April 14, 2022) ▶ What is the ‘semiconductor shield’ that protects Taiwan from the threat of war? In March, amid the outbreak of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mueller and former State Department officials visited Taiwan. As Taiwan’s geopolitical crisis intensifies due to the cross-strait conflict with China, the United States has recently been actively sending friendly messages to Taiwan. Analysis suggests that the change in the attitude of the United States, which has been tightrope walking between China and Taiwan since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and China in 1979, is due to the most important company on Earth, Taiwan’s TSMC. TSMC, the world’s largest foundry company and producer of 92% of semiconductors ordered by major US companies, is called the ‘sacred mountain that protects the country’ by the public. TSMC is a semiconductor company with such unique value that IT companies around the world can be said to stop if its factories stop. What is the background to TSMC's growth? ▶ Semiconductors, the ultimate weapon for future hegemony In January 2021, the global semiconductor shortage worsened as the supply of vehicle semiconductors was disrupted due to the resurgence of COVID-19. The United States, Europe, Japan, and Korea simultaneously requested semiconductor supplies from Taiwan's TSMC, and supply was given priority. At that time, the initiative was given to TSMC, which was producing them. The future hegemony initiative will be the same. This means that the one that produces more semiconductors domestically will have it. As time goes by, the appearance of future technologies such as automobiles, home appliances, 5G, and artificial intelligence is becoming more diverse. And among these, there is a component that runs through them, 'semiconductors'. 'Semiconductors' will determine the future hegemony. ▶ Cutting-edge industries are the weapons of the future It is now difficult to distinguish between civilian and military weapons just by looking at their appearance. This was confirmed in the recent war between Ukraine and Russia. As weapon system technology such as drones and autonomous driving attacks becomes more advanced, the importance of semiconductors in terms of national defense is being emphasized day by day. The United States describes semiconductors, which are at the core of advanced industries, as strategic materials and has decided to support the expansion of the strategic materials supply chain by 54 trillion won. It is not just the United States. All countries are stepping up to attract semiconductor businesses. This is because semiconductors affect not only industrial competitiveness but also military power. Semiconductors are national defense power, and each country will prepare for future wars with cutting-edge weapons. ▶ Silent US-China war over semiconductors Since Xi Jinping took office in 2013, China has been devoted to the development of cutting-edge technologies. In particular, when HiSilicon, a subsidiary of Huawei, the world's leading smartphone market leader, reached the stage of directly designing the Kirin chip, a cutting-edge semiconductor, the sense of crisis in the United States grew even more. At this time, the United States began to impose strong sanctions on Chinese semiconductor companies, including Huawei. It designated Huawei as a target of US export controls and required US government approval for exports. That is not all. China's largest foundry, SMIC, was working on cutting-edge semiconductor production, announcing 14-nanometer production in 2019. SMIC needed extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment from ASML in the Netherlands to create ultra-fine semiconductor processes. However, the United States blocked ASML, which uses American original technology, from exporting cutting-edge equipment to SMIC, and China's semiconductor process ended up stopping at 14 nanometers. The whole world is waging a silent war to get its hands on semiconductors. Where does Korea stand now that cutting-edge technology is rewriting the world's game? #Peninsula #Future hegemony #Advanced industry ※ Watch more [Documentary Insight] popular videos [Highlight] Cheering for your funeral • [Documentary Insight] The shining youth of prospective funeral directors from the Department of Funeral Directing at Euljiro University... [Highlight] Everyone Has a Youth Part 1 I'm Tourette • Do you know about Tourette Syndrome? 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