Modern conflict doesn’t just run on weapons—it runs on computer chips. And that reality carries national security implications we can no longer afford to overlook.

As tensions rise between Israel and Iran, global attention is focused on missiles, alliances, and energy markets. These are urgent and visible threats. But beneath them lies a quieter, more fundamental battlefield: the hardware that powers modern defense systems.

Cybersecurity is often treated as a software problem—hacks, ransomware, espionage. But every line of software runs on physical hardware. If the chip itself is compromised, no amount of software protection can fully secure the system. In today’s world, national security begins in silicon.

Israel has long understood this. Designing chips domestically allows engineers to ensure that critical systems—from military communications to defense platforms—contain no hidden backdoors or unknown vulnerabilities. Trust cannot be added later. It must be built into the hardware itself.

This is also a matter of sovereignty. A country that depends entirely on foreign-designed chips gives up control over the most basic layer of its technological infrastructure. That dependency is not just economic—it is........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)