The semiconductor doesn't play significant factor here. It only becomes hot topics in past few years because of TSMC's lead on its process, but really doesn't have any direct relationships.
In other words, current situation is a result of U.S. "Asia-Pacific Rebalance" strategy and military deployment over the first island chain [2] that China wanted the island regardless of TSMC.
I think China will capture Taiwan in the next two years.
This so called arms race is only in western minds. It would be stupid to not think about this possibility and its consequences of course but this is the most illogical option by China.
The best option would be to advance their own semiconductor tech beyond TSMC and make it irrelevant, which so far is the course of action they are taking (alas only because they are forced by US).
Expanding on why capturing Taiwan is stupid: TSMC already has fabs and people with knowhow outside Taiwan. The fab assets are not as strategicly valuable as their knowhow. Plus, even if you acquire the knowhow, there's the supply chain: ASML, others, ASML's supply chain.
I think US might force ASML and TSMC to move to US in the coming years even stronger but more than that this arms race isn't getting hot.
If the trade war continues and escalates, which form our current perspective it looks like it will, the EU will not lose one of its greatest assets in that space.
The idea of Trump that the US is powerful enough to strong arm everyone to his will is mistaken, an alienated US without its allies will suffer, as will the rest of the world..
So we will have a cold war, trade war and saber rattling until that time.
Then when the chips don't matter someday Taiwan will become old news to western minds like Iraq is today. When China takes Taiwan it will barely be a western news story because right now will feel so long in the past.
Territorial expansion is always popular with the masses before the shooting starts.
It is more nationalistic than political; in fact, many unpopular politicians start wars in order to get a sense of national unity and tamp down unrest at home.
> A strong majority of Americans, 66%, are opposed to U.S. territorial expansion accomplished “by invading other countries and territories,” according to a recent poll from More in Common.
> In contrast, just 13% support the U.S. launching an invasion to acquire territory, and 16% were not sure
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/artic...
is it because of nationalism?
> He stressed that China will not blindly follow trends or engage in unrestrained international competition. With a robust governance and regulatory system in place, China is confident in its ability to manage and utilize AI technology effectively
https://www.geopolitechs.org/p/chinas-vice-premier-ding-xuex...
IIRC, this speech was given just after Stargate announced
This is really bullshit
1) Those fabs would get damaged just due to war
2) Those fabs could be destroyed intentionally by Taiwan (or anyone else like US) either via missile or from inside
2.1) Equipment in those fabs can be remotely disabled
3) Those fabs need very skilled people to operate
4) Those fabs need very very skilled people to advance, move forward, if not, then they will quickly get behind
5) Those fabs are dependent on western supply chains like ASML machines
6) Those fabs are dependent on western customers
Earthquake destroying TSMC fabs is more likely than China taking over them and using them as nothing happened
Taiwan has been touting it's "Silicon Shield" defence for years and trying to tie China's self-interest with leaving Taiwan alone for now.
But the Silicon Shield is tumbling.
On the one side the US (the carrots of the CHIPS act under Biden, the stick of sanctions on Taiwan under Trump) is trying get sovereign control of chip production.
And on the other side China is ramping up getting sovereign control of it's own top-end production.
If both stay on course then China will have one less big reason not to invade, and the US will have one big reason less to defend.
Of course if China wins the 'race' then it could be to it's advantage to have a rocket exchange or invasion with Taiwan to choke of the West's supply of chips before the West has brought chip production home?
Also semiconductor is very complicated manufacturing process not only invovles Taiwan but vendors all over the world, like the light source of EUV is provided by Cymer based in U.S. I don't think China taking over Taiwan would mean they can transfer whatever is there into something productive in any short time as because of supply chain problem. Note that many SMIC's (basically China's TSMC) leadership are actually from TSMC already[2].
[1]https://www.tsmc.com/static/abouttsmcaz/index.htm [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Mong_Song