The Soviet Union used nearly 300 foreign agents, over 50 of them in Silicon Valley, in their attempts to steal chips during the 1970s and 1980s. Even after attempted and successful bribes to top-level engineers, and even as they stole hundreds of manufacturing machines, they couldnt come close to the technological supremacy of the Americans.

Just like the Iraqi war showed the Soviets that their defenses which Saddam Hussein relied on against cruise missiles and the stealth bomber proved inept and ill-suited, so do their Russian-made chips achieve disastrous outcomes in Ukraine today.

Literally, the Russians are disassembling washing machines to get their hands on chips, because chips make the world go round.

After the Soviets realized how behind they were on chips, they surrendered to the United States, and American hegemony in the 1990s birthed the internet boom and hyper-globalization.

Outsourcing and open markets were praised as the way of the future and, any politician who raised his voice about the risks of making deals with the devil and selling chip superiority for cheap to the Asians, were criticized for thinking in the past tense.

Then, the risks became real.

Today, China and Taiwan are technological beasts.

Taiwan is the crown jewel in cutting-edge chip manufacturing and design (the more important aspect of this ultra-crucial industry), and China is also a big player.

Chinas highest priority is to raise the income level of its population, so that they can afford to go to school and get educated.