Tech Diplomacy Now: Keith Krach Delivers Keynote at SEMICON West
Krach Inspires Semiconductor Industry to Advance Freedom by Embedding Trust in Chips
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Tech Diplomacy Updates
Top News of the Week
Latest News
Technology Strategy and Policy
Artificial Intelligence
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Critical Minerals
Synthetic Biology
Quantum
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Energy and Climate
Opinion and Commentary
The Last Word
Keith Krach Delivers Keynote at SEMICON West
In a keynote address at SEMICON West 2025, the premier microelectronics exhibition in North America, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue Chairman Keith Krach called on semiconductor leaders to unite behind a shared mission: anchoring the technologies of the future in trust, calling it “the ultimate competitive advantage.” Speaking before industry executives, engineers, and policymakers, Krach celebrated “America’s Chip Manufacturing Revival”—a dramatic turnaround that has seen the industry surge from zero planned fabs in 2020 to over $600 billion in new investments.
Michelle Giuda on Bloomberg TV: US-China Tariff Back-and-Forth Won’t Bring Stability—American Leadership Will
Michelle Giuda, CEO of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, told Caroline Hyde of Bloomberg: “Real stability won’t come from another round of US-China tariff talks or even a trade agreement. It will come from total American dominance in the next generation of industries. That’s what victory looks like.”
Top News of the Week - Nvidia’s Challengers
Last week, Huawei unveiled an aggressive roadmap to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in advanced semiconductors for AI. At the same time, OpenAI announced a massive deal with AMD for advanced AI chips, while Meta announced a deal with an AI chip start-up. Nvidia’s dominance in advanced AI chips is facing its most serious challenge yet.
Key Points:
After years of unchallenged dominance of GPUs, the advanced semiconductors for artificial intelligence, Nvidia appears to be facing stiff competition from Chinese firms and American firms.
Nvidia’s dominance likely encouraged wealthy technology companies pursuing AI to find alternatives, even as they seek access to even more Nvidia chips.
Whether another American competitor arises, or whether a Chinese firm like Huawei can match Nvidia’s chips, remains to be seen.
More on Background:
OpenAI signs a multi-billion dollar chips deal with AMD – Quartz, October 6, 2025
Huawei’s new open source technique shrinks LLMs to make them run on less powerful, less expensive hardware – Venture Beat, October 3, 2025
Meta Is Said to Acquire Chips Startup Rivos to Push AI Effort – Bloomberg, September 30, 2025
Huawei to Double Output of Top AI Chip as Nvidia Wavers in China – Bloomberg, September 29, 2025
Alibaba shares leap on Nvidia partnership, data center plans – Reuters, September 24, 2025
Latest News
How China Secretly Pays Iran for Oil and Avoids U.S. Sanctions – WSJ, October 5, 2025
Indian ministers push domestic alternatives to Google, Microsoft apps amid strained US ties – Reuters, October 3, 2025
How China’s Secretive Spy Agency Became a Cyber Powerhouse – NYTs, September 28, 2025
The Russian spy ship stalking Europe’s subsea cables – FT, September 28, 2025
There Are More Robots Working in China Than the Rest of the World Combined – NYTs, September 25, 2025
How Intel’s $28 Billion Pledge Left an Ohio Town in Limbo – WSJ, September 24, 2025
European airports snarled by cyberattack, disruption to stretch into Sunday – Reuters, September 20, 2025
Technology Strategy and Policy
China’s AI-Powered Surveillance State – Journal of Democracy, October 2025
Notice of Request for Information; Regulatory Reform on Artificial Intelligence – Office of Science and Technology Policy, September 26, 2025
U.S. Military Is Struggling to Deploy AI Weapons – WSJ, September 26, 2025
Taiwan Curbs Chip Exports to South Africa in Rare Power Move – Bloomberg, September 23, 2025
Artificial Intelligence
Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI – WSJ, October 6, 2025
The Robot Reckoning: China is betting on a future with humanoid robots. When will it arrive? – The Wire China, October 5, 2025
‘Perfection without the connection’: How AI is becoming a digital wingman – Reuters, October 4, 2025
OpenAI is huge in India. Its models are steeped in caste bias. – MIT Technology Review, October 1, 2025
CAISI Evaluation of DeepSeek AI Models Finds Shortcomings and Risks – NIST, September 30, 2025
China’s DeepSeek Unveils New AI Model That Could Halve Usage Cost – WSJ, September 30, 2025
Durbin, Hawley Introduce Bill Allowing Victims to Sue AI Companies – Senator Dick Durbin, September 29, 2025
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
TikTok posts on Israel-Gaza war are overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian – WaPo, October 7, 2025
TikTok Says It’s Engaging with Indonesia After License Suspended – Bloomberg, October 3, 2025
Inside the US-China Battle Over Undersea Internet Cables Powering AI’s Future – Bloomberg, October 2, 2025
Flights in Afghanistan grounded after internet shutdown – BBC, September 30, 2025
China Hackers Breached Foreign Ministers’ Emails, Palo Alto Says – Bloomberg, September 30, 2025
Critical Minerals
The Secret Weapon in America’s Critical Minerals Strategy – First Breakfast, September 30, 2025
US magnet start-up targets China’s grip on rare earths – FT, September 29, 2025
Rare Earths and Industry: Why Dependence on China Endures – EAI Background Brief, September 12, 2025
China’s Bureaucratic Playbook for Critical Minerals – Hudson, Institute, July 9, 2025
Synthetic Biology
Closing the Biosecurity Gap in Synthetic Biology – Global Biodefense, October 6, 2025
Trump orders $50M for AI in pediatric cancer research – Axios, September 30, 2025
How Biofoundries are Accelerating Life-Enhancing Innovations in Biomanufacturing – SynBioBeta, September 11, 2025
Quantum
How One AI Model Creates a Physical Intuition of Its Environment – Quanta Magazine, October 3, 2025
A Thermometer for Measuring Quantumness – Quanta Magazine, October 1, 2025
IBM Just Made a Quantum Computing Breakthrough – Motley Fool, September 26, 2025
Scientists unveil world’s first quantum computer built with regular silicon chips – Live Science, September 26, 2025
Advanced Aerospace Technology
China’s industrial revolution to make rockets and satellites like cars – SCMP, September 28, 2025
Drone maker DJI loses lawsuit to exit Pentagon’s list of firms with Chinese military ties – Reuters, September 26, 2025
Chinese drone experts worked with sanctioned Russian arms maker, sources say – Reuters, September 25, 2025
US intel officials “concerned” China will soon master reusable launch – ArsTechnica, September 22, 2025
China’s large reusable Tianlong-3 rocket passes 1,000-tonne thrust ‘major exam’ – SCMP, September 17, 2025
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
China’s chipmakers bought $38 billion in U.S. and allied tools, a sign policy is failing, lawmakers find – Reuters, October 7, 2025
Huawei Used TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix Components in Top AI Chips – Bloomberg, October 3, 2025
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Frustrated by Delays to Trump’s U.A.E. Chips Deal – WSJ, October 2, 2025
Applied Materials Expects $710 Million Revenue Hit from New Export Rule – WSJ, October 2, 2025
Axcelis and Veeco to Merge in $4.4 Billion Semiconductor Equipment Deal – WSJ, October 1, 2025
Japan’s Kioxia Sees AI Driving Strong Memory Growth for Years – Bloomberg, September 30, 2025
Energy and Climate
China’s most infamous ghost town is now training ground for driverless trucks – Rest of the World, October 3, 2025
AI Data Centers Are Sending Power Bills Soaring – Bloomberg, September 29, 2025
China won the electric car race. Up next: freight trucks – Rest of the World, September 26, 2025
China’s Clean Energy Pledge is Clouded by Coal – The Wire China, September 26, 2025
Opinion and Commentary
Vibe Coding Is the New Open Source—in the Worst Way Possible – Lily Hay Newman, Wired, October 6, 2025
Dogfighting between satellites? Recognising space as a domain of war – Philip Citowicki, The Interpreter, September 23, 2025
Why China Hawks Love Talking About AI – James Palmer, Foreign Policy, September 23, 2025
US-China rare earth talks: Trading predictability for time – Apoorba Banerjee, Lowy Institute, September 18, 2025
The Last Word
“It’s not just about innovation. It’s about freedom.”
– Keith Krach, SEMICON West keynote address
About: Tech Diplomacy Now
The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader of the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies, and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom.