Chip War
Aboard the USS Mustin, sailors were stationed in a dimly lit room, observing an array of screens that displayed data from various sources like aircraft, drones, ships, and satellites, all tracking movements across the Indo-Pacific region.
The concern for China's leadership was not so much the U.S. Navy but rather an inconspicuous regulation from the Commerce Department that restricted the export of American technology.
This regulation led to Huawei being cut off from purchasing computer chips crafted using U.S. technology, halting its global expansion. Consequently, China is now focusing intensively on developing its own semiconductor technology to escape the United States' dominance in chip technology.
As the USS Mustin continued its journey south, numerous factories and assembly lines on both sides of the Strait were busy producing components for the iPhone 12. A significant portion of the semiconductor industry's revenue is derived from smartphones, and the cost of these phones is largely due to the semiconductors they contain.