🌧 Noteworthy Bits -- 1/9/23

Semiconductors are the foundational technology that has driven the extraordinary progression of speed and power in computation. Sixty years ago the number of transistors on a chip was 4 (not 4 thousand, just 4) and yet through incredible advances in fabrication and design, Apple’s A14 processor chip has 11.8 billion transistors etched into its silicon. Yet, as we experienced through the course of the pandemic, disruptions to the supply chain of chips can have massive ripple effects throughout the economy and in the age of data semiconductors are increasingly at the forefront of the geopolitical conversation.

Why Are Chips Interesting Again? via Another Podcast

Podcast hosted by Benedict Evans and Toni Cowan-Brown which features Jay Goldberg from Snowcloud Capital. The pod provides context into the business strategy that’s driving the key players in the design and fabrication sides of the chip industry.

Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller

Excellent book by Chris Miller which explores the history and evolution of the chip industry and its emergence as a top geopolitical priority given its role in the technology, political, and economic landscape.

ASML: Engineering the Future in Fine Detail via Baillie Gifford

An easy-to-digest primer on ASML, the company that makes the lithography machines which make chips. An ASML machine costs ~€160m and the company has 90% market share of this industry making it one of the most critical components of the semiconductor supply chain.