Silicon Triangle: The United States, Taiwan, China, and Global Semiconductor Security

by Larry Diamond (Editor), James O. Ellis (Editor), Larry Diamond (Editor)

The United States, Taiwan, and China are bound within a “silicon triangle.” Semiconductors link our geopolitics, our ongoing economic prosperity, and our technological competitiveness. This book draws on the deliberations of a multidisciplinary Hoover Institution–Asia Society working group of technologists, economists, military strategists, industry players, and regional policy experts to contemplate the dynamic global supply chain in semiconductors—one in which US industry faces growing vulnerabilities, China aggressively promotes home-grown semiconductor mastery, and Taiwan finds itself with a crucial monopoly on high-end logic chips sought by buyers globally. Silicon Triangle seeks to present a balanced view of how policies of the United States and its partners around semiconductors can increase the resilience of shared supply chains—and contribute to deterring conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

Genres: Politics, China, Technology, Economics, Nonfiction

424 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2023

About the author

Larry Jay Diamond (born October 2, 1951) is a political sociologist and leading contemporary scholar in the field of democracy studies. He is a professor of Sociology and Political Science (by courtesy) at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative policy think tank. At Stanford he teaches courses on democratic development and supervises the democracy program at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. He has published extensively in the fields of foreign policy, foreign aid, and democracy.

Diamond is also a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, which is Stanford University’s main center for research on international issues. At the Institute Diamond serves as the director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. The CDDRL’s most recent accomplishment came in the spring of 2011 by building a technological community between Tahrir Square (Cairo, Egypt) and Silicon Valley (California Bay Area). This community was fully focused on helping mobilize protesters in Egypt who eventually helped in the downfall of autocratic president Hosni Mubarak.

Diamond has served as an advisor to numerous governmental and international organizations at various points in his life, including the United States Department of State, United Nations, World Bank, and U.S. Agency for International Development. He is a founding co-editor of the National Endowment for Democracy's Journal of Democracy. He is also a coordinator of the Hoover Institution's Iran Democracy Project, along with Abbas Milani and Michael McFaul.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a somewhat academic read that looks at the current state of the US chip industry and considers geopolitics while giving policy recommendations. In this regard I think the work is done well. I also believe the work's scope is fairly small and if they had considered other countries like the EU it could've created a more compelling work.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book On Taiwan

Some truly impressive recommendations for reducing intellectual property theft by China and strengthening relationships with key players and inventors in the semiconductor space.

A very good and timely read too, having read this during the week of the Taiwan elections in 2024.

Definitely check this book out if you too are interested in foreign policy and world technology.

4.8/5