Power circuits: the geopolitics of the microprocessor industry in a stage of hegemonic transition

Abstract

In the current stage of systemic chaos (Arrighi y Silver, 1999), where different states are competing for world supremacy, the rise and fall of certain countries and regions within the world system are being defined. Technological innovation is of utmost importance here, as it creates competition among various countries, resulting in an extensive race to achieve cutting-edge technology. High-tech microprocessors are the key component for the development of other emerging technologies (for example, Artificial Intelligence). The development of microprocessors is conditioned for some countries by the extensive productive chain they comprise and the disputes among the numerous actors involved. The objective of the present article is to expose the spatial dimension of the microprocessor manufacturing network and analyze the capacity of the producing countries, in order to verify whether American hegemony in microprocessor design and fabrication is real, in contrast to a China, which is beginning to fracture the foundations of the North American giant. As a result, we can see how far China still is from surpassing the US in terms of microprocessor production.