Dynamics of technological innovation and geopolitics to shape the competitive positioning in the global semiconductor industry

Andrew Inkpen and Bowon Kim

Chapter 6 in Elgar Companion to Technology Life Cycles, 2026, pp 117-139 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Semiconductors are one of the most essential products in the modern economy. Without semiconductors, we would not enjoy almost every electronic product we take for granted. The semiconductor industry is a highly complex and global ecosystem consisting of companies performing many functions, including R&D, design, manufacturing, equipment development, assembly, packaging, and testing. These companies are concentrated in the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and a few European countries. Technological progress in semiconductors results from dynamic interactions involving numerous innovations by many companies throughout the value chain and geopolitical interfaces between competing nations in the ecosystem. In this chapter, we study the technological innovations and geopolitics in the global semiconductor value chain to understand how these dynamic forces have shaped firms’ competitive positions. Based on our analysis, we hope to shed light on how the global semiconductor industry will continue to create value for humanity.

Keywords: Semiconductors; Geopolitics; Semiconductor value chain; Technological innovation; The US-China competition; East Asian economies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035355488
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