We have been on this beat for a while: as the convergence of AI chip security, zero-trust architectures, and supply chain resilience began to reshape national security imperatives, demanding a shift toward hardware-native, verifiable security models. The following post is a compilation of our tracking and analysis to date.

Overview

A zero-trust at the chip level “conventional wisdom” is underway, which could become as important as software-defined security was in the last decade.

• AI chips are not only critical economic drivers but are becoming strategic chokepoints in national security and AI compute dominance.
• On-chip zero-trust by design, hardware provenance, and tamper-evident architectures offer new security models baked into the silicon itself, not bolted on after manufacturing.
• The global IT and AI chip supply chain is now a battlefield of geopolitical competition, with China’s countermeasures (e.g., gallium, germanium export controls) and U.S. efforts like the CHIPS Act escalating the tech conflict.

Key Points

• On-Chip Governance is emerging as the next evolution in the IT and AI chip supply chain security, enabling tamper-evident, provenance-assured compute environments.
• AI chip chokepoints (like advanced GPUs and AI accelerators) are becoming the leverage points in national security and AI supremacy strategies.
• Globalization of chip manufacturing is fracturing, with regionalized supply chains forming post-CHIPS Act.
• China’s countermeasures, including restrictions on gallium and germanium, are part of its strategic toolkit in the chip wars.
• Legacy chips remain strategically vital, especially in defense, critical infrastructure, and industrial sectors.
• The market is moving toward hardware-level zero-trust and quantifiable assurance as the new standard of secure compute.

What Next?

• Hardware-native zero trust will accelerate as standard practice, requiring close cooperation between chipmakers, integrators, and national security agencies.
• Provenance, traceability, and verification at the silicon level will become mandatory in defense contracts, critical infrastructure, and sensitive industries.
• The CHIPS and Science Act’s focus on reshoring is only a first step; future policy must embed security and assurance as core components of semiconductor innovation, not afterthoughts.
• Expect next-gen blockchain integration at the hardware level, enabling secure and immutable logs of chip lifecycle and usage.

OODA Loop Tracking and Analysis” On-Chip Zero-Trust by Design and Provenance, Supply Chain Security, and National Security

On-Chip Governance of the IT Supply Chain and AI Chip Security: This article explores the concept of governing the global IT and AI chip supply chain at the chip level itself, advocating for on-chip verification, provenance, and zero-trust models as essential for future cyber and national security architectures.

Are Computer Chip-based “Chokepoints” the Future of AI Compute, National Security, and American Competitiveness?: Analyzes how advanced AI chips are becoming strategic chokepoints, serving as levers of economic, technological, and military power in global competition, and discusses the implications for U.S. competitiveness.

Globalization Transformed and the Global Computer Chip IT Supply Chain Disruption: Reviews how globalization of the semiconductor industry has been disrupted, with regionalization, nationalization, and supply chain fragmentation becoming dominant trends post-pandemic and post-CHIPS Act.

A Vital Market Development in the Production Capacity of the Global Computer Chip Supply Chain: Tracks developments in global chip production capacity, focusing on investments, bottlenecks, and vulnerabilities that impact the security and reliability of the global chip supply chain.

Globalization Transformed: The Regional Impact of the CHIPS and Science Act: Assesses how the CHIPS and Science Act is reshaping regional chip manufacturing strategies and its implications for global tech competition.

China’s Gallium and Germanium-based Countermeasures in the Global Chip Supply Chain War: Details China’s use of gallium and germanium export controls as countermeasures in the global semiconductor conflict, highlighting how materials have become new fronts in the chip wars.

The Secondary Chip and Hardware Markets: The Strategic Importance of Legacy Chips: Highlights the enduring strategic importance of legacy chips and secondary markets, especially in defense, infrastructure, and industrial systems.

The Current “On-chip” Innovation and Physical Layer Market Dynamics of GPT Model Training, Crypto Mining, AI and the Metaverse: Analyzes the evolving on-chip innovations driving GPT model training, crypto mining, AI accelerators, and the metaverse, emphasizing the growing demand for specialized chips.

Hardware-Level Zero Trust and Quantifiable Assurance are the Future of Compute and the Global IT Supply Chain: Argues that the future of secure compute lies in hardware-native zero-trust and quantifiable assurance, shifting away from software-only approaches to baked-in silicon-level security.

For the Cybersecurity Community: A Call to Action for Memory-safe Strategies and “Better Diagnostics that Measure Cybersecurity Quality“: Urges the cybersecurity community to adopt memory-safe programming practices and develop better diagnostics for cybersecurity quality, laying the groundwork for safer hardware-software ecosystems.

A “Faster, Secure Pipeline”: DoD Signals Awareness of the Challenges Faced by Small Business Tech Contractors: Discusses DoD’s recognition of the unique challenges facing small business tech contractors and their effort to create a faster, more secure innovation pipeline.

Secure Global and Domestic IT Supply Chains and the Future of Emerging Technology Innovation: Highlights the link between secure IT supply chains and the future of emerging technology innovation, warning of the risks of insecure supply chains.

Semiconductor Innovation is More Than Just Reshoring the Traditional Industrial Base: Argues that reshoring manufacturing alone is insufficient; true semiconductor innovation must integrate security, resilience, and new business models.

Semiconductor Manufacturing and Next-Gen Blockchain as a Service: Examines the convergence of semiconductor manufacturing and blockchain technology to create immutable, verifiable chip provenance and lifecycle records.

The Next Phase of the DARPA Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI): The Joint University Microelectronics Program 2.0 (JUMP 2.0): Covers DARPA’s next phase of the Electronics Resurgence Initiative (JUMP 2.0), focusing on university-industry partnerships to accelerate microelectronics innovation.

Supply Chain and Cybersecurity Resilience: Palantir-backed Analytics Platform Partnership and DoD CMMC 2.0 Announced: Details the launch of a Palantir-backed supply chain analytics platform alongside DoD’s announcement of CMMC 2.0, both aimed at boosting supply chain and cybersecurity resilience.