this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2023
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Technology
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Why? I'm not super educated on this matter and can't find anything clear on why this would be bad
Because it’s a sign they were able to get that manufacturing technology working. It means their equipment is better than it was up until very recently, and they were able to work out the kinks (mainly optics, iirc) stopping them from using ‘7nm’ nodes. It also means that the west is loosing the semiconductor production advantage it has.
Check out Asianometry, he does good videos on semiconductor manufacture, and I believe he did a video or two on China as well.
That still doesn't tell me why I should be concerned. Another country having access to good technology doesn't set off alarm bells for me. I guess I need someone to spell out why them being less reliant on the West for tech is concerning. Especially considering how true the opposite has been (in regards to manufacturing) for ages.
The issue arises when you look at it from a geopolitics point of view. The US (aka the West) loosing manufacturing and design dominance in the semiconductor space means that there is less bargaining power to force others to do what the US wants. In the case of China, US export embargos for cutting edge semiconductor technology was meant to cripple China's technological progress, especially in the semiconductor design/production and AI model space. (Think of whatever shenanigans US companies have been doing with AI models, and what China has already demonstrated on Western hardware.)
Semiconductors are integral to modern weapon systems. If you've been keeping up with the news, you'll remember that even Russian missiles have been found to contain western-made electronics. AKA Russia has been buying US technology and adding it into their own weapon systems, rather than designing, producing and using their own. That makes Russia reliant on having a stable source of US components, be it imported legally or in spite of sanctions. The same goes for China. The fear is that China will eventually be able to manufacture weapon electronics comparable to US designs. Stealing the designs from US sources isn't particularly difficult, its always been the manufacture of said components that caused issues for China. Seemingly, that gap has been closing.
In short it's basically the issue of the West having made China the factory of the world, them having learned/being able to steal designs, and them now having the ability to produce almost anything. That makes them a strategic threat to US interests.
Anything that makes someone less reliant on you is a net negative if you wish to remain 'in charge'.