While reading up on technological supply chains for current affairs, I noticed that over 70% of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity—and almost all advanced node production below 5nm—is situated in Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.
Given how essential microchips are to modern smartphones, automobiles, medical devices, and defense systems, why did this extreme geographical concentration happen in the first place? Was it driven purely by capital cost and specialized labor supply, or were there specific government industrial policies that enabled East Asian foundries to outpace North American and European manufacturers over the last three decades?
Also, what are the primary economic and geopolitical risks associated with this concentration, and can legislative initiatives like the US CHIPS Act or EU Chips Act successfully diversify the global supply chain in the near future?
