“Chip War” author emphasizes Korea’s role in global chip supply chain conflict

The “Chip War” by Chris Miller.

South Korea should grasp the opportunity to take a leading role in the competition to realign the chip supply chain between the United States and China, according to Tufts University Associate Professor Chris Miller.

In a recent interview with Maeil Business Newspaper, Miller, also the author of best-seller “Chip War,” noted that Korea is a “linchpin” in the global techno big bang and chip supply chain and that the country will be able to play a leading role moving forward.

“Korea’s next-generation chip leaders will be those who navigate through the restructuring of supply chains today,” Miller said. “The entire industry faces huge challenges and opportunities presented by the geopolitics-induced supply chain shifts.”

He added that “this is coming as AI is redefining the chip industry and creating demand for new types of products. It will take visionary leaders to navigate these trends.”

The interview came ahead of Miller’s attendance at the World Knowledge Forum (WKF) 2023 hosted by Maekyung Media Group. The WKF, the largest business forum in Asia, kicked off Tuesday, under the theme of “Techno Big Bang: Humanity on the Shoulders of Giants.”

Miller will participate in the forum’s “Chip War and its Implications for Korea” session on Tuesday.

Korea needs pioneering leaders to lead the supply chain reorganization as the entire industry faces significant challenges and opportunities due to supply chain changes based on geopolitics, Miller said.

He also projected that despite the conflict with the United States, China will never abandon its semiconductor development.

He said that as Chinese chip companies will continue their investment and innovation, Korea must seek a much larger technological gap to maintain its market share.

Miller noted China’s Huawei Technologies Co. has equipped its latest smartphones with 7-nanometer (nm) chips, indicating that the U.S.-China chip war is entering a new phase and the war is now expanding into a chip materials war.

“Korea, the United States, Europe, and Japan need to work together to build supply chains for critical materials that are more secure,” Miller said.

Jan Goetz, chief executive of IQM Quantum Computers.

Jan Goetz, chief executive of IQM Quantum Computers, Europe’s largest quantum computing development company, also underscored Korea’s role in the emerging technology sector.

Goetz, who will be attending a WKF session on Wednesday titled “The Future of Quantum Science and Technology,” emphasized that the quantum revolution is in its early stages globally and even a tech powerhouse like Korea could lead the market.

He noted that all countries have the opportunity to lead the market through international cooperation because each country and institution is approaching it with different technologies without specific standards.

The CEO also emphasized that quantum computing should be developed as a technology that spreads worldwide without a dominant player.

The three-day WKF, joined by 250 global speakers and about 100 sessions, is being held at Jangchung Arena and The Shilla Seoul in Jung District in central Seoul.

This year’s forum focuses on five clusters in the science technology areas of artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, robotics, C-Tech, and bio. Renowned scholars from across the world will attend about 100 sessions and share their insights on various issues facing humanity, such as geopolitical issues and global economic outlook.

Open sessions will be livestreamed on YouTube and metaverse platform Com2uS.

Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer Inc., will deliver a keynote speech in the opening session moderated by Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver Corp., under the theme of “Humanity on the Shoulders of Giants: A Conversation with Steve Wozniak.”

The session will discuss the implication of the techno big bang in the 21st century and the direction of next-generation digital innovation.

Following that will be a session on “The Future of AI and its Impact on Humanity: Fireside Chat with Sam Altman and Ben Nelson.”

Altman is the CEO of OpenAI and Nelson, Chairman and CEO of Minerva Project.