King's College London

The Mapping (De)Globalization team uses novel data to map the dynamics of global supply chains in critical sectors, helping organisations to navigate the challenges of hostile geopolitics, economic shifts, and environmental crises.

Earlier this year, the team responded to an appeal for evidence from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), drawing on its expertise in the supply chain and geopolitics of the global semiconductor industry.

The team met with the researcher in charge of the POST appeal to explain its data sources, methods and expertise, and were invited to provide a detailed briefing with data on the UK semiconductor industry.

This week, the team’s work on mapping the location of UK semiconductor firms as well as data on ownership was included in a new POST report, Supply of semiconductor chips. The report will be used by parliamentarians in both houses to inform their ongoing legislative work and scrutiny in what is an internationally-important sector.

The Mapping (De)Globalization team includes Dr Joseph Baines and Dr Sean K Starrs, of King’s College London, and Dr Julian Germann and Dr Steven Rolf, from the University of Sussex. You can find out more about their work here: Mapping (De)Globalization.

Dr Baines said: “Our collaboration with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology underscores the critical importance of understanding and navigating the complexities of the global semiconductor supply chain.