Podcast: Japan’s quest for the most powerful microchip leads semiconductor revival

In the 1980s, Japan was the dominant player in the semiconductor market. But huge shifts in the way the chip supply chain operated eroded that leading-edge.

Countries like Taiwan with TSMC, the world’s largest and most advanced semiconductor manufacturer, began to dominate in the production of chips. The U.S. is key in areas like design. While the Netherlands has ASML, a company that makes tools required to manufacture cutting-edge chips.

Japan…