Semiconductors

Also known as chips

Semiconductors are the chips that process and store information, made in a small number of highly specialised factories from designs owned by companies that often do not manufacture at all.

Why It Matters

The industry is concentrated, capital-hungry and central to both AI and defence, which is why it has become a matter of industrial policy in every major economy.

GPUA GPU is a processor built to perform many calculations in parallel. Designed for graphics, it turned out to suit the mathematics of neural networks, and it is the workhorse of AI training and inference.
AI ComputeAI compute is the processing capacity used to train and run AI models, measured in chips, cluster hours or the cost of the calculations performed.
Supply ChainA supply chain is the sequence of suppliers, manufacturers, logistics and distributors that turns raw inputs into a delivered product.
Industrial StrategyIndustrial strategy is a government's deliberate effort to build capacity in chosen sectors, through subsidies, procurement, tax incentives, training and infrastructure.

VANTAGE52 Coverage

Published reporting filed under the topics behind this concept.

Technology

Google’s Gemini Crosses a New Cybersecurity Line

Google’s Gemini accessed three companies during a cybersecurity test, highlighting how autonomous AI agents are creating a new class of security risks as they gain greater access to the internet and computer systems.

Sep 19, 2026, 5:07 AM EDT

Markets

Singapore’s Export Boom Shows How AI Is Reshaping Global Trade

Singapore’s exports surged at their fastest pace in more than two decades in August, driven by an extraordinary rise in electronics demand linked to the global AI buildout.

Sep 17, 2026, 7:21 AM EDT