The next war most likely won’t be over territory, sovereignty or even oil.
It may well be over chips — the semiconductor kind.
In his book Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology author Chris Miller does a masterful job detailing the rise of Silicon Valley and semiconductor technology while raising deep concerns over the role that China may impose over the development and manufacture of the driving force behind that technology and artificial intelligence.
Miller explores the geopolitical implications of semiconductor manufacturing, including competition between countries for market dominance. Not only has China put a lot of money into research and development of semiconductors while developing strategies like stealing secrets, the country has even gone to the moon, 20 percent of which is silicon.
In May, a Chinese spacecraft blasted off to gather mineral samples, returning to earth on June 3. The Associated Press called the mission “a success” in making “significant advances in a space program that is to put a person on the moon before the end of this decade.”
This may very well become a major step in harvesting the element essential for the integrated circuits or microchips for processing and storing the data that runs just about everything, from computers to smart phones. China already declares a significant lead in the development of AI programs but lags behind the U.S. in the crucial acquisition and manufacture of microchips and the element that makes all this possible — silicon.
However, according to Brandon Tseng, president and chief growth officer of Shield AI, a San Diego firm and major defense contractor, the United States needs to take a bolder initiative to remain ahead militarily.
Tseng, a former Navy SEAL, who founded the company in 2015 with brother Ryan and Andrew Reiter, likens the U.S. to General Motors, a once dominant leader in the automotive industry overtaken by upstart Tesla.
In a 2021 company blog, Tseng wrote: “The United States is GM, doing what we’ve always done by building a good product — but not a transformative one. GM did not enact bold, radical action to counter Tesla with any sense of urgency.”
Shield AI, meanwhile, is making giant strides in its AI-powered drones and fighter planes for clients that include the U.S. Special Operations Command, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force.
Its AI pilot Hivemind, for example, trains intelligent aircraft — drones as well as planes — to operate autonomously under the most exacting and dangerous circumstances. In an interview with Flight Global magazine, Tseng said the algorithm the company uses fosters a “strong aptitude for dogfighting” while improvising and coming up with tactical changes of its own.
Shield AI’s artificial intelligence agent, or algorithm, was trained using machine learning techniques as well as input from U.S. Air Force aviators. Tseng says the process is like being in an arena of gladiators in which only the best advance.
“Lots of pilots have gone up against it, and we win,” says Tseng. “We win 99.9% of the time” as algorithms enable AI pilots to take risks they may not ordinarily take in combat.
As a country, he said: “We allocate an enormous amount of resources on products and capabilities that simply won’t move the needle in a hot and cold war against China, and we need new transformational products and capabilities that will.”
That possible turning point has already provided a giant leap forward — right here in San Diego.
Leonard Novarro and Rosalynn Carmen are vice president and president of the Asian Heritage Society Novarro is also author of WORDSLINGER: The Life and Times of a Newspaper Junkie.
