The world we live in is largely the result of the conflicts that marked the development of World War II and the Cold War. The echo of more than fifty years now resonates geostrategically, socially and economically, but above all, If we stick to technology and science it will last. And these two disciplines have experienced tremendous development in this recent historical period.

What happened to semiconductors during World War II provides a great illustration of the impact of conflicts between great powers on the development of technology. “The atomic bomb may have ended the war, but radar won the war.” Ignacio Mártil quotes this quote from Lee Alvin DuBridge, director of the MIT Radiation Laboratory from 1940 to 1946, ’20. He chose to predict the vital role of this creativity in the first pages of his book ‘Radar in the History of the 21st Century’. in the solution of this war.

With this comes the truly enlightening part: it was the switch from thermionic valves to transistors that allowed British and American scientists to improve the performance of their radars enough to significantly outperform the same type of device they had, namely Nazi Germany. Since that moment semiconductors started a dizzying race His goal still seems far away. They made a huge difference eighty years ago and today they shape a strategic industry that the great powers are ready to defend at all costs.

Tension between major powers stimulates technical and scientific development

Technology associated with integrated circuits, II. It was certainly not the only technology to make rapid progress during World War II and the years that followed. Computers, telecommunications, aeronautics and nuclear physics are some of the most developed technological and scientific disciplines during the Cold War.

The struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union brought both countries together from the end of World War II in 1945 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. They allocated a significant portion of their resources It is aimed at developing technological, scientific and military capabilities. His strategy was very similar to that now adopted by major powers led by the United States, China and Russia.

Relations between the West and Russia changed radically when the country led by Vladimir Putin annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014. The gap separating Russia from the US-led Western alliance. There was no consensus on whether a new Cold War had begun after the annexation of Crimea, but today, barely a decade later, it is logical to recognize that we are stuck in the middle of the New Cold War or the Second Cold War. The United States and Europe on the one hand, and China and Russia on the other, oppose control of the world order.

Some analysts, such as former head of MI6 John Sawers or Wilson Center member Igor Zevelev, argue that the current moment is far more dangerous and unpredictable than the Cold War. There is no doubt that we are going through extremely turbulent times. Global instability is spreading. Hugh David Scott Greenway, an American war correspondent working for The Washington Post, Time Life and The Boston Globe, dates the beginning of the Second Cold War to February 4, 2022, because this was the day Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping made a joint statement. formalizing the alliance of the two nations.

If we stick to the science and technology that interests us most at Xataka, we can observe that there is a very clear parallel between Xataka and the rapid development of the disciplines that the USA and the Soviet Union considered strategic during the Cold War. What we are witnessing today. Semiconductors profoundly condition the technological, scientific and military development of the great powers, and the United States, China and Russia are determined to prevail in this field at all costs.

However, there are other areas that have a strategic role not only for these three countries, but also for other states or coalitions such as Europe, Japan, South Korea or India, and are competing not to be left behind. Artificial intelligence, quantum communication and quantum computers they receive financial support News from public institutions in some of these unprecedented countries invites us to predict that in the coming years they will experience a development that is difficult for us to foresee at the moment.

At the end of July 2022, the US Congress approved the allocation of at least $ 280 billion for the country’s scientific and technological development. On the other hand, the European ‘Chips Law’ directive will mobilize 43 billion euros to put the Old Continent on the integrated circuits world map.

China is about to pump $41 billion into lithography equipment manufacturers to develop its own ultraviolet (EUV) machines. Russia will invest $38 billion in the next six years strengthening the chip industry. These are just some of the economic allocations managed by the great powers for the purpose of developing science and technology, but they clearly show what we are talking about.

Cover photo: Pink House | Planalto Palace | President of РФ

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