We are in the midst of a digital revolution, where the line between our physical world and cyberspace is blurring. Tech Tonic is the show that investigates the ...
Amid the artificial intelligence boom, demand for AI chips has exploded. But this push for chips also creates new challenges for countries and companies. How will countries cope with the huge amounts of energy these chips consume? Will anyone compete with Nvidia to supply the AI chips of the future? And can China develop its own chips to fuel its own AI development? James Kynge visits a data centre to find out how advanced AI chips are causing new problems for the sector. In Phoenix, Arizona, James meets Mark Bauer, co-leader with JLL's Data Center Solutions group, and Frank Eichenhorst, vice president of data centre operations at PhoenixNAP. How will the clash of titans play out between NVIDIA and Big Tech? And we hear from Amir Salek, senior managing director at Cerberus Capital and the brains behind Google’s TPU chip; Tamay Besiroglu, associate director of Epoch AI; Dylan Patel, lead analyst at consulting firm SemiAnalysis; and the FT’s global tech correspondent Tim Bradshaw to find out more about the battle for AI chips. SMIC did not respond to a request for comment.Free links to read more on this topic:Nvidia and the AI boom face a scaling problemChip challengers try to break Nvidia’s grip on AI market Amazon steps up effort to build AI chips that can rival NvidiaTSMC says it alerted US to potential violation of China AI chip controlsPresented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Joseph Enrick Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Tim Bradshaw.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
23:30
The geopolitics of chips: Taiwan’s ‘Silicon Shield’
The global tech industry depends on Taiwan’s semiconductor chips and many believe the sector plays a key role in the island’s national security, helping stave off an invasion from mainland China. But as relations between China and Taiwan worsen, some countries are taking steps to become less reliant on Taiwanese chips. Already, the US, Germany and Japan have lured Taiwanese semiconductor makers to their own shores. Could that make Taiwan a more vulnerable target for attack?Presenter James Kynge visits the island and speaks to FT greater China correspondent Kathrin Hille, Taiwan's science and technology minister Cheng-Wen Wu, the president of Taiwan's semiconductor industry association Chih-I Wu, UMC associate vice-president Michael Wang, and Hsin-mei Cheng, writer and producer of 'Zero Day', a TV show about a hypothetical invasion from the mainland.Free links to read more on this topic:US and Taiwan seek to strengthen drone supply chain to keep out China Taiwan’s new leader faces China threat and voters left behind by chip boom Taiwan on the faultline Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Sam Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Kathrin Hille.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
22:45
The geopolitics of chips: A manufacturing miracle
Semiconductors are one of the most complex and technically difficult pieces of hardware to make in the world – which is why they’ve become a flashpoint for tensions between the US and China. For years, semiconductor technology has advanced at a breakneck pace - but there are signs that this might be slowing down. What will that mean for the global fight for chips? The FT’s longtime China correspondent James Kynge travels to the Netherlands to see ASML’s extreme ultraviolet lithography system, one of the most complex machines on the planet. Plus, we hear from the man at Intel charged with keeping Moore’s Law going, and from Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology. Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Joseph Salcedo and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Tim Bradshaw.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
31:10
The geopolitics of chips: Chips in the USA
The next superpower will be a tech superpower, and to be that superpower you need to have some control over the semiconductor industry which is driving the AI revolution. But almost all advanced semiconductors are made in Taiwan — and it is under constant threat of a Chinese invasion. President Joe Biden’s Chips Act promises lavish subsidies to companies working to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to US soil. Will those subsidies survive once Donald Trump, the president-elect, is in the White House? The FT’s James Kynge, is in Phoenix, Arizona, the former heartland of American chip manufacturing. He speaks to those trying to revive the US chipmaking industry.Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Tim Bradshaw.Clips: The Joe Rogan Experience, CNBCRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
27:08
Coming soon: The fight for the future of chips
There's a battle going on for control of the global semiconductor industry – the chips that are in virtually every piece of electronics we use from our phones to our cars to the latest AI software. For the past half century, chips have quietly powered the technological revolution. In this series, James Kynge goes deep into the miracle of modern chip manufacturing and the struggle over who commands its future.Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Tim Bradshaw. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We are in the midst of a digital revolution, where the line between our physical world and cyberspace is blurring. Tech Tonic is the show that investigates the promises and perils of this new technological age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Canada - english