Hardware and compute

CSET Non-Resident Fellow John VerWey will discuss how to maximize CHIPS and Science Act investments to secure the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. Details regarding virtual and in-person registration are available below.

The U.S. semiconductor supply chain’s resilience will meaningfully increase only if current efforts to re-shore fabrication (that is, to situate more facilities that make its key parts in the United States) are met with commensurate efforts to re-shore upstream material production along with downstream assembly, test, and packaging (ATP) of finished microelectronics.

Forecasting Potential Misuses of Language Models for Disinformation Campaigns—and How to Reduce Risk

Josh A. Goldstein Girish Sastry Micah Musser Renée DiResta Matthew Gentzel Katerina Sedova
| January 2023

Machine learning advances have powered the development of new and more powerful generative language models. These systems are increasingly able to write text at near human levels. In a new report, authors at CSET, OpenAI, and the Stanford Internet Observatory explore how language models could be misused for influence operations in the future, and they provide a framework for assessing potential mitigation strategies.

Banned in D.C.

Jack Corrigan Sergio Fontanez Michael Kratsios
| October 2022

U.S. federal policymakers have recently gained the authority to block government agencies and private organizations from using foreign technologies that pose national security risks. But securing U.S. networks will require them to wield those powers effectively and better coordinate supply chain security efforts across all levels of government. The authors provide an overview of federal- and state-level procurement bans and recommend ways to build stronger defense against foreign technology threats.

Will AI Make Cyber Swords or Shields?

Andrew Lohn Krystal Jackson
| August 2022

Funding and priorities for technology development today determine the terrain for digital battles tomorrow, and they provide the arsenals for both attackers and defenders. Unfortunately, researchers and strategists disagree on which technologies will ultimately be most beneficial and which cause more harm than good. This report provides three examples showing that, while the future of technology is impossible to predict with certainty, there is enough empirical data and mathematical theory to have these debates with more rigor.

Silicon Twist

Ryan Fedasiuk Karson Elmgren Ellen Lu
| June 2022

The Chinese military’s progress in artificial intelligence largely depends on continued access to high-end semiconductors. By analyzing thousands of purchasing records, this policy brief offers a detailed look at how China’s military comes to access these devices. The authors find that most computer chips ordered by Chinese military units are designed by American companies, and outline steps that the U.S. government could take to curtail their access.

Biden’s War on Chinese Computer Chips Harms Americans

The National Interest
| June 12, 2022

A CSET study found that the United States currently builds fewer fabs than the rest of the world.

Preserving the Chokepoints

Andre Barbe Will Hunt
| May 2022

Offshoring the production of semiconductor manufacturing equipment would remove an important source of leverage over China and make the United States more dependent on other countries for some of the most important inputs to semiconductor manufacturing. This brief explores the factors driving U.S. SME firms to offshore production and what can be done to slow or reverse offshoring.

CSET Research Fellow Emily Weinstein and CSET Non-Resident Senior Fellow Kevin Wolf discussed their proposal for a new export control regime among techno-democracies to better address contemporary challenges.

CSET Research Analyst Will Hunt and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory East Asia National Security Advisor John VerWey discussed the incentives, talent development and regulatory measures necessary to attract leading edge chip manufacturing to the United States.