Microchip empires: how the race for nano-scale tech is changing geopolitics

The Russian military has started pulling apart civilian goods to cannibalise components such as microchips to build precision-guided missiles and drones, the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a UK-based defence think tank, said in an August report on the impact of sanctions. But taking parts from items such as games consoles to source “dual use” chips for weapons, Rusi said, makes them far less reliable.