The Machine and the Microchip

A report from the front lines of the secret battle to keep China from winning the most important war of the 21st century—the war over semiconductors.

A new Cold War is being fought for control over the world's most powerful technology—semiconductors, the tiny chips that power everything from iPhones to AI supercomputers to military drones. At the heart of this war is ASML, a Dutch company that most people have never heard of, which makes the machines used to manufacture the world's most advanced semiconductor chips. The US is fighting relentlessly to keep these machines out of China's hands. But this isn't just a US-China fight. It's about who controls the future. Nations that dominate chip technology will shape economies, military power, and even global alliances.

China has a plan. If it can't buy these machines, it will take them. Taiwan, an island of 23 million people, is home to more than half of the world's most advanced chipmaking machines. China is preparing for an invasion that would give it control over the most critical technology of the modern era. Meanwhile, the US, ASML, and TSMC (the primary manufacturer of the advanced chips, based in Taiwan) and others are racing to make this war as costly as possible for China.

The Machine and the Microchip is a work of deep investigative journalism that provides rare insights into critical power politics at the highest level.

'A gripping geopolitical thriller that moves from secret White House meetings to cleanrooms across the world. Sharp, revealing, fast-paced, and packed with insider scoops.'
—Laurens Lange, chief editor of RTL News

'This book is a real page-turner, packed with surprising examples such as theft at ASML and leaked secrets.'
—Professor Haroon Sheikh, senior research fellow at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy

'Interesting, timely, and fluently written. If you're interested in learning more about the role of politics in technology, or about the role of technology in international politics, this is a must-read.'
—Iris Windmeijer, Founder/Book Influencer at Readlicious