Redazione RHC : 4 October 2025 11:21
On October 2, the Financial Times published an analysis by Mike Kuiken, a senior national security adviser and fellow at the Hoover Institution. The expert warned of a little-discussed but significant risk: the United States’ growing dependence on China for the production of so-called “core chips.”
While American political and industrial attention is focused on advanced semiconductors for artificial intelligence, Beijing is reportedly consolidating a dominant position in the market for mature chips , meaning those manufactured at 28 nanometers or higher. These components, often mistakenly considered obsolete, are actually essential to the functioning of a wide range of technologies: automobiles, medical devices, defense systems, and critical infrastructure such as power and telecommunications networks.
Kuiken noted that China already holds approximately 40% of global production capacity in this sector and that its influence is expected to grow by 2030. According to the analyst, this dependence represents a strategic vulnerability for Washington, as the core chips form the backbone of many military systems, from F-16 fighters to Patriot and Javelin missiles. For the Pentagon, losing control of the supply chain would mean compromising the very security of the American arsenal .
In his analysis, Kuiken called for the U.S. government to quickly complete its Section 301 investigation into mature Chinese chips with “decisive action.” Suggested measures include broader industrial policies beyond simple tariffs, greater transparency by U.S. companies about supply chains, and new federal investments in commodity chips.
According to Kuiken, ignoring this threat would have potentially serious consequences: every car, every missile and every medical device produced in the United States would risk becoming an instrument of pressure in the hands of Beijing .
In his view, this situation would also reduce America’s ability to maintain a strategic balance in the Taiwan Strait.
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