Many in Taiwan and elsewhere think one major deterrent has to do with the island's critical role in semiconductor manufacturing. Taiwan produces the majority of the world's semiconductors and more than 90% of the most advanced chips needed for AI applications. Bloomberg Economics estimates that a blockade would cost the global economy, including China, 5 trillion in the first year alone. "The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost." The island, which is approximately the size of Maryland, owes its remarkably disproportionate chip dominance to the inventiveness and prowess of one company: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC.

It's been a difficult year for shoppers looking for cars, electronics and anything that requires a computer chip. A global semiconductor shortage has left many companies unable to fill orders or even finish products they've started assembling, clogging up warehouses and leaving a lack of inventory across the nation. Buying a new PlayStation 5 console remains nearly impossible. Several automakers have slowed down production in their factories, delaying shipments of new vehicles. It's even impacted more obscure products--just try to find an affordable dog washing booth these days.

In today's digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) has earned a name for itself as a futuristic agent that can lead us to a world powered by machines mimicking human intelligence. As days pass by, the use of AI technology is becoming a significant factor in business success, healthcare services, customer engagement, and more. Further, this technology is pushing the envelope of human capability in a manner that humans-machine coexistence will be viewed as a symbolic relationship in the coming days. And this means combining the cognitive, emotional strengths of humans with that of machines (computational capabilities, data analysis, pattern recognition, and next action determination based on statistics). Meanwhile, AI's big data, machine learning, and automation potential have forced policymakers and business leaders worldwide to plan for a future where AI is a core competency.

The big data market is in a state of upheaval as companies begin shifting their data strategies from "nothing" or "everything" in the cloud to a strategic mix, squeezing out middle-market players and changing what gets shared, how that data is used, and how best to secure it. This has broad implications for the whole semiconductor supply chain, because in many cases it paves the way for more data to move freely between different vendors, no matter where they sit in that chain. That can go a long way toward improving the quality of chips and systems, reducing the cost of design and manufacturing, and shed light on supply chain constraints. It also opens up many more opportunities for data analysis to help offset rising concerns about liability in markets such as automotive, medical and mil/aero. "For years, the Fortune 500 to the Global 5,000 were reticent about moving to the cloud, but all of a sudden in the last 12 to 18 months there has been a massive shift to the cloud," said Michael Schuldenfrei, corporate technology fellow at Optimal Plus.