View Item 
        •   Utrecht University Student Theses Repository Home
        • UU Theses Repository
        • Theses
        • View Item
        •   Utrecht University Student Theses Repository Home
        • UU Theses Repository
        • Theses
        • View Item
        JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

        Browse

        All of UU Student Theses RepositoryBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

        From globalisation to techno-nationalism: the European Union's collective securitisation of the chip ecosystem

        Thumbnail
        View/Open
        Sprokholt_7921535.pdf (1.128Mb)
        Publication date
        2024
        Author
        Sprokholt, Tom
        Metadata
        Show full item record
        Summary
        How did the European Union’s chip policy shift from an approach based on liberal values aimed at globalisation, to a stance based on techno-nationalism? This thesis has aimed this shift in policy through Sperling and Webber’s model of collective securitisation. It has found that, after the Cold War, the EU embraced globalised, borderless supply chains, particularly in the chip industry. However, the high costs and R&D demands led to concentrated hubs, with TSMC and Samsung dominating manufacturing and the US leading in design, while China and Russia controlled key raw materials. The COVID-19 pandemic starkly exposed the vulnerabilities in this ecosystem, which were further amplified by geopolitical tensions and techno-nationalist policies. The unprecedented surge in chip demand underscored the EU's need for strategic autonomy during the "digital decade." The Russo-Ukrainian war heightened concerns about the sovereignty of the chip supply chain. In response, the EU initiated a series of security measures from 2020 to 2022, culminating in the EU Chips Act proposal on February 8, 2022, and its passage on September 21, 2023. This act, despite internal disagreements on more ambitious legislation, marked a unified response to these threats, shifting the EU's strategy from liberal globalization to techno-nationalism. This evolution reflects a broader policy shift: from neglecting the chip ecosystem (post-Cold War to 2013), to focusing on industrial competitiveness (2013-2018), to recognizing chips as critical to national and European security (2018-2023). The EU now views chip security as vital to its strategic autonomy, driven by recent geopolitical events and trends.
        URI
        https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/46553
        Collections
        • Theses
        Utrecht university logo