Two little-known companies have become so crucial to the chip-manufacturing industry — and industries further afield, including defence — that they have found themselves at the centre of global geopolitical tensions.

Yet unless you’re in the field of technology there’s every chance you’ve never heard of either firm. At best, most people who do know about them don’t have a clear picture of their overriding importance to the global economy. Yet without them the world would take a technological leap backwards...

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