| Sumario: | This article investigates Malaysia's strategic responses to the intensifying United States (U.S.)–China semiconductor rivalry, where semiconductors have become key geopolitical assets shaping global supply chain realignments. Positioned as a critical node in the back end of the semiconductor supply chain, Malaysia faces mounting pressures to reconcile its technological dependencies with its industrial upgrading ambitions. Drawing on policy documents and industry data, this study develops a three-dimensional analytical framework—techno-geopolitical drivers, structural constraints, and adaptive strategies—to systematically assess how Malaysia navigates this strategic landscape. It addresses three core questions: how U.S. and Chinese semiconductor strategies influence Malaysia's position, what structural constraints it confronts, and how it adapts to achieve industrial upgrading while preserving autonomy. It finds that Malaysia is advancing three interlinked mechanisms: technological diversification, supply chain adaptation, and institutional balancing. These strategies enable Malaysia to mitigate external shocks, preserve strategic flexibility, and pursue resilient integration into a fragmented global semiconductor order. The findings contribute to debates on middle power agency, supply chain resilience, and strategic technology governance in the Global South.
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