About this publication
Technopolitics examines the strategic relationship between technology and political power, focusing on how political institutions, state policies, and geopolitical considerations shape the development, diffusion, and control of technological capabilities, and how technology, in turn, transforms the ways in which states project power, safeguard national security, and influence the international system.
The intensifying U.S.–China competition in the semiconductor industry provides one of the most prominent contemporary manifestations of technopolitics. Semiconductors have transcended their traditional role as industrial inputs and emerged as critical strategic assets, with export controls, industrial subsidies, investment policies, supply-chain restructuring, and technology restrictions becoming integral components of the broader geopolitical contest between the two powers.
Technopolitics underscores that technology is no longer merely a technical or economic resource; it has become a central pillar of national power and geopolitical influence. The ability to develop, control, and secure access to strategic technologies—including semiconductors, data, digital infrastructure, and advanced computing capabilities—can significantly shape a state's security, strategic autonomy, economic resilience, and position within the evolving international order.