Published in late 2024, the book examines the global semiconductor industry through the lens of national innovation strategies, with particular attention to the intensifying technological competition between China and the United States.
The study analyses how governments design industrial policies, mobilise public and private resources, and organise innovation systems to strengthen technological capabilities in this strategically critical sector.
At a ceremony held in March 2026, the book received B-Prize of National Book Award, the highest honour for publications in the field of science and technology in Vietnam.
It was selected from more than 50,000 titles published in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Publishers Association and Vietnam Television organised the awarding ceremony for the 8th National Book Awards, honouring the country’s most valuable and outstanding books and book sets, broadcast live on national television and attended by the Politburo members and senior government ministers.
Dr Tue Anh (Jenny) Nguyen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU), at the University of Greenwich.
Dr Nguyen said:
“Winning this award is both humbling and encouraging. It recognises the effort of academics who try to translate complex economic ideas into language accessible to policymakers and the wider public.
“My work was shaped by many years collaborating with the PSIRU team on the role of the state in economic development and by research with Professor Mariana Mazzucato at UCL on innovation policy. The evolution of the semiconductor industry is a powerful example of how long-term government commitment can shape entire technological ecosystems. From this research, I later worked as a United Nations Development Programme International Senior Consultant on a State Capabilities Report for Vietnam.
“At the University of Greenwich , I plan to continue exploring how governments create public value by shaping markets, directing investment, and strengthening public services.”
Co-author Dr. Pham Sy Thanh, Director of the Centre for Economic and Strategic Research of China, has also been invited by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to participate in a roundtable discussion on industrial policy in the Asia-Pacific region. And both authors are delivering the international book launch at a PEGFA (Centre for Political Economy, Governance, Finance and Accountability, University of Greenwich) Seminar on 9 March 2026 at the University of Greenwich.
By combining industrial economics, innovation policy and geopolitical analysis, CHIP Battlefield provides a systematic framework for understanding how major powers organise innovation ecosystems and compete for leadership in one of the world’s most critical technologies.
