Printed circuit boards sit underneath nearly every chip, a quiet but crucial piece of the booming AI market. But they’re also a growing problem for the U.S., because nearly all AI circuit boards, for Nvidia, Google, Apple and others, are made in China. This creates supply chain vulnerabilities and opportunities for adversaries to sneak through malicious components. Amid ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine, PCB demand and prices have never been higher. But national security risks mean the military can only source PCBs from the dwindling number of domestic factories. Now, new legislation would incentivize building and buying American-made circuit boards. CNBC visited TTM, the largest U.S. circuit board maker, to see how PCBs are made and find out how the U.S. is trying to catch up with China.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
3:09 Not just ‘dumb plastic’
7:29 Why security matters
10:24 How China got ahead
12:41 Can the U.S. regain ground?
Produced and Reported by: Katie Tarasov
Edited by: Marisa Forziati
Additional Editing: Erin Black
Camera by: Andrew Evers, Devan Burris
Senior Director of Video: Jeniece Pettitt
Animation: Jason Reginato, Emily Park, Christina Locopo, Alisa Stern
Additional Footage: Alisa Stern, Getty Images, Itera, Intel, Nvidia, PCBAA, Quilter, Sanmina, TTM, TSMC
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