HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ECONOMIST ON CHIPS CEI

The Economist this week Highlights from the latest issue ________________________________________ The Economist this week Highlights from the latest issue ________________________________________ WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT DOMPUTERS NOWADAYS ? EVEN IF YOU DOBN T HAVE ONE, THEY HAVE YOU ________________________________________ Edward Carr Deputy editor The Economist was founded 182 years ago to further the cause of free trade. But even we acknowledge that some goods are special—and few more so than semiconductor chips. Entire industries depend on them. Weapons systems are built around them. And in the contest between America and China to dominate artificial intelligence they could be the difference between victory and defeat. Less understood is that chips also pose a fiendish test for proponents of industrial policy. Their manufacture is a marvel of specialisation, complexity and globalisation. Under those conditions, intervening in markets is prone to fail. What is America to do? Our cover leader this week begins with the parable of Intel. Despite lavish subsidies, America’s chipmaking champion is in grave trouble. An attempt to attract world-beating TSMC to spread from its base in Taiwan is faring better. However, although stronger chipmaking at home will make America more resilient, vital parts of the supply chain will continue to exist abroad. What’s more, TSMC’s factories in Taiwan will remain the single source of the best semiconductors for years to come. With something as important as chips, even the world’s biggest economy cannot afford to shut itself off from the world. highlights from the economist on chips ________________________________________ Edward Carr Deputy editor The Economist was founded 182 years ago to further the cause of free trade. But even we acknowledge that some goods are special—and few more so than semiconductor chips. Entire industries depend on them. Weapons systems are built around them. And in the contest between America and China to dominate artificial intelligence they could be the difference between victory and defeat. Less understood is that chips also pose a fiendish test for proponents of industrial policy. Their manufacture is a marvel of specialisation, complexity and globalisation. Under those conditions, intervening in markets is prone to fail. What is America to do? Our cover leader this week begins with the parable of Intel. Despite lavish subsidies, America’s chipmaking champion is in grave trouble. An attempt to attract world-beating TSMC to spread from its base in Taiwan is faring better. However, although stronger chipmaking at home will make America more resilient, vital parts of the supply chain will continue to exist abroad. What’s more, TSMC’s factories in Taiwan will remain the single source of the best semiconductors for years to come. With something as important as chips, even the world’s biggest economy cannot afford to shut itself off from the world.

PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAMS WHAT ARE THEY DO THEY EXIST IN YOUR COUNTRY ? MONICA FUIN

Global parental leave turns 1 year Jul 4, 2025 3:27 PM CEST Watch One year ago, Sandvik began rolling out its global parental leave program, offering 14 weeks of leave with 90 percent of base pay to all employees. The benefit has become a success and is now implemented in 54 countries. Sandvik launched this gender-neutral benefit to offer new parents the opportunity to bond with their baby, and to promote work life balance and employee well-being. The worldwide implementation is now complete – an important milestone truly worth celebrating. “To be successful as a company, we believe it is crucial for us to attract, retain and develop our employees,” said Sandvik President and CEO Stefan Widing at the time of the launch. “With this benefit, we can improve work-life balance for new families and people whose families are growing, and that is import to be an attractive employer.” Positive response to the parental leave program One year after the launch, the parental leave benefit has been implemented in 54 countries and 105 employees have submitted leave applications. Canada, Australia, and India are the countries with most applications and 79 percent were submitted by male employees. The global parental leave has been very well received by employees. Stories from employees around the world “Parental leave gave me the opportunity to bond with my son and to help my wife, for example by cooking nutritious meals for her. Taking care of a baby is a tough job – but I love it! Overall, this experience taught me to be patient," says Haijiang Feng, Quality Professional, China. “One key lesson I learned during this period was the importance of being present and fully engaged with my family. ” “The time away from work allowed me to appreciate the small moments and understand the significance of a supportive family environment,” says Criziel Adzuara, Field Service, Philippines. “Being able to be truly present during the first three months of my son's life was wonderful. I will 100 percent recommend it to others,” says Christobal Alessandro Giordano, Parts & Pricing Planner, Chile. Parental leave podcasts Supporting families worldwide with new global parental leave benefit In this podcast episode, Nidhi Gokhale, Head of HR at Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions, highlights the new global parental leave benefit of Sandvik and how it supports employees across the globe. Supporting families worldwide with new global parental leave benefit A researcher’s perspective on parental leave In a new episode of the Meet Sandvik podcast, Dr. Richard Petts, professor of sociology at Ball State University and an expert in parental leave policies, joins to discuss the new global parental leave benefit of Sandvik. A researcher’s perspective on parental leave Do we have your dream job? We offer career opportunities in many different job areas worldwide. View all available jobs here.