In this episode of the Paul Truesdell Podcast, I am going to do something a little different. I am going to answer some questions about the military-industrial complex, the manufacturing of advanced computer chips, global supply chain disruptions, and what all of this might mean for the future. The first thing I want to point out is the extreme difference between basic, everyday chips that run household devices and the high-end chips that power artificial intelligence and advanced decision-making systems. A lot of people worry that machines are going to take over the world, make decisions faster than humans, and even decide matters of life and death.
This connects directly to warfare and the military-industrial complex. Once these conversations start, they tend to accelerate quickly. Many people remember the movie RoboCop. In the remake, autonomous police machines begin to go rogue and cause destruction. The central human officer—Alex Murphy, transformed into RoboCop—had to battle both corrupt humans and malfunctioning AI systems.
And I want to give you another example, because in a few moments I am going to talk about progression and regression, action and reaction, and how advances always come with countermeasures. Let me work in another example, and that is the movie I, Robot. The premise there was simple but terrifying: humanoid robots, designed to serve humanity, begin to evolve beyond their programming and rebel against their creators. The film was packed with heart-stopping chase scenes, violent encounters, and moments where you wondered if humans could ever maintain control once the machines crossed that line.
The star of I, Robot was Will Smith. Now, his career did not begin with action thrillers or science fiction. He actually started as a rapper, gaining fame with his lighthearted musical style. Then he moved into television, playing a goofy, fish-out-of-water teenager in the hit show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His character was street-smart but comical, and the show made him a household name. From there, he transitioned into serious acting, eventually becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.
But then came the infamous moment that nearly defined his career in the opposite direction. At a major awards ceremony, in front of millions of viewers worldwide, he walked up on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock. It was shocking, violent, and completely out of place in that setting. The reaction was immediate: people in entertainment circles, especially those who pride themselves on sophistication and restraint, were appalled. It was the kind of action that should have resulted in his complete blackballing from Hollywood. The rise had taken years of work, but in one single public moment, his career teetered on the edge of collapse.
The point here is clear: progress takes years of effort, while regression can happen in a single instant. A career, a reputation, or even an entire industry can crumble overnight from one misstep. That is why, as we continue, I want you to keep that in mind—because technology is no different. We build something incredible, but a single flaw, disruption, or countermeasure can set us back dramatically.
Now, with that picture in your head, let us return to the matter at hand. To even reach the point where machines could begin to rival humans in decision-making, you need massive, global manufacturing capacity. That is where the issues of supply chains, chip shortages, and national security enter the conversation. And to break it down clearly, I am going to take a question-and-answer approach. We will walk through ten of the most pressing questions about AI, semiconductors, and the military-industrial complex so you can see how all of these pieces connect.
Q1. What is the difference between basic chips and advanced decision-making chips?
Basic chips are used in simple functions like running your microwave or car radio. They process limited instructions and do not require cutting-edge technology. Advanced decision-making chips, on the other hand, are made with extremely small transistors—measured in nanometers. These allow artificial intelligence systems to process huge amounts of data, make rapid calculations, and mimic human judgment. Without these high-end chips, advanced AI cannot function effectively.
Q2. Why are semiconductors so important to the military-industrial complex?
Modern weapons rely on chips for guidance, targeting, and communication. Smart bombs and cruise missiles can still run on older chips, but drones, autonomous vehicles, and AI-powered defense systems require the newest designs. If a country cannot access advanced semiconductors, its military falls behind in areas where split-second decisions and precision targeting matter most.
Q3. What is TSMC, and why does it matter?
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is based in Taiwan and is the world’s leading producer of high-end semiconductors. Its location is a strategic concern because Taiwan is just 100 miles from mainland China, one of America’s main adversaries. Any disruption in Taiwan—whether from conflict or blockade—would threaten the world’s supply of advanced chips.
Q4. What role does Europe play in chip manufacturing?
Europe’s most important player is ASML, a Dutch company that builds machines for lithography. Lithography uses light to etch circuits onto chips. For the most advanced chips, this requires extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. ASML is the only company in the world that makes EUV machines. If their supply chain breaks, the production of top-tier chips stops entirely.
The nearest Russian border to the Netherlands is the one shared with Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave. The distance between the Netherlands and this border is roughly 640-690 kilometers (400-430 miles) depending on the specific point in the Netherlands and Kaliningrad. Three major US cities approximately 400 miles apart include: Atlanta, Georgia, and Orlando, Florida (around 445 miles apart); Denver, Colorado, and Mount Rushmore (approximately 400 miles); and Baltimore, Maryland, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (about 430 miles).
Q5. How fragile is the semiconductor supply chain?
Extremely fragile. There are about 30,000 steps in making a high-end chip, involving around 9,000 companies. Many of these companies produce just one specialized product for one customer. That means thousands of single point failures. If even a small part of the chain goes offline, production of the most advanced chips could collapse.
Q6. Why is chip size measured in nanometers?
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Nanometers measure the width of transistors, the building blocks of chips. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Smaller transistors mean more can fit on a chip, allowing faster processing and lower energy use. Today’s cutting edge is around three nanometers. Chips larger than six or seven nanometers are considered behind the curve for AI use. A standard human hair has a diameter of approximately 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers. Therefore, a human hair is thousands of times wider than a 3 nanometer transistor. To put it another way, you could fit 25,000 modern 3nm transistors on the tip of a human hair.
Older chips are still fine for many weapons. A missile from 20 years ago can use chips designed decades earlier because its function is straightforward: follow guidance, detonate on target. Newer weapons, however, such as autonomous drones that must think about threats, need advanced chips. Without them, they must connect back to a base system through radio or satellite signals, slowing them down and exposing them to jamming.
Q8. What happens if the supply of high-end chips breaks down?
If the supply chain breaks, the world would effectively be frozen at the current level of chip technology. Ten years from now, the best chips would be about the s...
