Fall 2026 Bass Connections - CHIPS Challenge: Technology, Policy and the Global Supply Chain

Timeline

Description

Background

Semiconductors, tiny chips that power everything from smartphones and medical devices to defense systems and artificial intelligence, form the backbone of the modern digital economy. Yet the semiconductor supply chain is extraordinarily complex and globally interdependent. Over the past several years, the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions and natural disasters have revealed just how fragile this system is. Chip shortages halted automobile production, disrupted electronics manufacturing and strained industries such as healthcare, transportation and energy.

A significant vulnerability stems from geographic concentration: a small number of companies and countries, particularly in East Asia, handle most global semiconductor fabrication. Governments worldwide are now responding with ambitious industrial policies. In the United States, the CHIPS and Science Act aims to rebuild domestic capacity, secure supply chains and promote technological leadership. However, strengthening and diversifying these supply chains involves navigating complicated questions of economics, national security, environmental sustainability and workforce development.

Understanding how these technological, economic and policy forces interact is essential for designing a semiconductor ecosystem that is more resilient, equitable and sustainable.

Project Description

This project will examine the global semiconductor supply chain using qualitative and quantitative research methods, with the goal of informing policy, sustainability strategies and future innovation.

Work will proceed in three phases:

Mapping the semiconductor supply chain
Team members will chart the full lifecycle of semiconductor production: raw material extraction, chip design, fabrication, packaging, assembly and distribution. Using public datasets, industry reports and academic research, the team will build visual models and flow maps highlighting dependencies, choke points and regional concentrations.

Policy and economic analysis
The team will study how government policies like the CHIPS and Science Act, export controls, tariffs and foreign investment rules shape supply chain resilience, competitiveness and global collaboration. Students will conduct case studies and analyze how geopolitical tensions influence production incentives, firm strategy and technological development.

Throughout the year, the team will engage external partners such as industry experts, policy analysts and former government officials. This work will culminate in a public convening held at Duke in DC, bringing students together with national leaders to discuss the future of semiconductor policy and technology.

Anticipated Outputs

• Policy brief with recommendations on supply chain resilience and sustainability
• Interactive data visualization or dashboard mapping global semiconductor dependencies
• Research report on the impacts of the CHIPS and Science Act
• Public convening at Duke in DC involving experts from academia, government and industry

Student Opportunities

The team will include 3-5 graduate or professional students and 3-5 undergraduate students. Ideal participants may come from engineering, economics, business, public policy, political science or related disciplines. No prior experience in semiconductor policy is required — just curiosity and commitment.

Students will gain experience in:

• Systems mapping and data analysis
• Policy research and economic assessment
• Case study development
• Communication with policymakers, practitioners and industry experts
• Interdisciplinary teamwork across technical and policy domains

Team

Leaders

David Hoffman, Steed Family Professor of the Practice of Public Policy

Merritt Cahoon, Deep Tech Program Coordinator