The geopolitics of chips: Nvidia and the AI boom

The geopolitics of chips: Nvidia and the AI boom

Author: Financial Times December 3, 2024 Duration: 23:30


Amid the artificial intelligence boom, demand for AI chips has exploded. But this push for chips also creates new challenges for countries and companies. How will countries cope with the huge amounts of energy these chips consume? Will anyone compete with Nvidia to supply the AI chips of the future? And can China develop its own chips to fuel its own AI development? 


James Kynge visits a data centre to find out how advanced AI chips are causing new problems for the sector. In Phoenix, Arizona, James meets Mark Bauer, co-leader with JLL's Data Center Solutions group, and Frank Eichenhorst, vice president of data centre operations at PhoenixNAP. 


How will the clash of titans play out between NVIDIA and Big Tech? And we hear from Amir Salek, senior managing director at Cerberus Capital and the brains behind Google’s TPU chip; Tamay Besiroglu, associate director of Epoch AI; Dylan Patel, lead analyst at consulting firm SemiAnalysis; and the FT’s global tech correspondent Tim Bradshaw to find out more about the battle for AI chips. 


SMIC did not respond to a request for comment.


Free links to read more on this topic:

Nvidia and the AI boom face a scaling problem

Chip challengers try to break Nvidia’s grip on AI market 

Amazon steps up effort to build AI chips that can rival Nvidia

TSMC says it alerted US to potential violation of China AI chip controls


Presented by James Kynge. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The producer is Josh Gabert-Doyon. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Joseph Enrick Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Tim Bradshaw.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


From the Financial Times, FT Tech Tonic steps beyond the breathless headlines and gadget launches to explore how technology is fundamentally reshaping our lives, economies, and social structures. This isn't just a series about the latest app; it's a deep, considered examination of the forces driving the digital age and their often unintended consequences. Each episode grapples with the complex interplay between innovation and its real-world impact, drawing on the FT's global reporting expertise to provide clarity and context. You'll hear conversations that dissect the power dynamics in Silicon Valley, investigate the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence, and explore how entrepreneurship is being redefined across different cultures. The podcast digs into the substance behind the hype, asking whether emerging technologies truly deliver on their promise to improve society or if they introduce new perils we are only beginning to understand. By weaving together threads from technology, business, and culture, the discussions offer a nuanced perspective that challenges simplistic narratives. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that connects the dots between boardroom strategies, algorithmic biases, and the everyday experiences that define our increasingly connected world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

FT Tech Tonic
Podcast Episodes
Tech in 2025: China’s AI ‘Sputnik moment’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:40
The Chinese company DeepSeek has shocked the world with an AI model that could rival those built by the biggest artificial intelligence companies in Silicon Valley. For years it has been assumed that China’s AI companies…
Tech in 2025: All hail the AI revolution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:00
Murad Ahmed interviews Reid Hoffman - billionaire founder of LinkedIn, venture capitalist, self-proclaimed AI optimist and generally speaking a big name in Silicon Valley. Hoffman discusses the enthusiasm for artificial…
Tech in 2025: Trump and the tech bros [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:08
Incoming president Donald Trump has shown he’s ready to act decisively on tech, giving a stay of execution to TikTok after the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on the social media platform. But how will he deal with the res…
Tech in 2025: Hi, I’m your AI-powered assistant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:45
Since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, generative AI tools have been helping us answer questions, write essays and create AI images and videos. But now, tech companies are promising AI tools that actually complete everyd…
Coming soon: How will technology shape the world in 2025? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:44
In a new season of Tech Tonic, the FT’s technology editor Murad Ahmed asks some of the big questions likely to shape the tech world in 2025, with the help of big names from the tech industry and the FT’s expert reporters…
The geopolitics of chips: Taiwan’s ‘Silicon Shield’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:45
The global tech industry depends on Taiwan’s semiconductor chips and many believe the sector plays a key role in the island’s national security, helping stave off an invasion from mainland China. But as relations between…
The geopolitics of chips: A manufacturing miracle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:10
Semiconductors are one of the most complex and technically difficult pieces of hardware to make in the world – which is why they’ve become a flashpoint for tensions between the US and China. For years, semiconductor tech…
The geopolitics of chips: Chips in the USA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:08
The next superpower will be a tech superpower, and to be that superpower you need to have some control over the semiconductor industry which is driving the AI revolution. But almost all advanced semiconductors are made i…
Coming soon: The fight for the future of chips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04
There's a battle going on for control of the global semiconductor industry – the chips that are in virtually every piece of electronics we use from our phones to our cars to the latest AI software. For the past half cent…
The Telegram case: Privacy vs security [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:50
What are the limits of privacy when it comes to our online lives? If authorities are investigating a crime, should they be able to access private messages sent between two individuals? In this episode of Tech Tonic, John…