Semiconductor industry and market

Because semiconductors are basic components essential to all kinds of products, what metaphor has been used for them in Japan?

  1. AThe rice of industry
  2. BThe salt of industry
  3. CThe water of industry
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Answer: A. The rice of industry

Because semiconductors are basic components used in every kind of product, including home appliances, cars, communications equipment and computers, Japan has likened them to its staple food, calling them "the rice of industry." In recent years they have also been treated as strategic goods underpinning the economy and national security.

  • A. Correct. It likens them to the staple food, rice.
  • B. This expression is not commonly used.
  • C. This expression is not commonly used.
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More Semiconductor industry and market questions

  1. In the memory semiconductor market, which two products account for most of the revenue?
  2. Which company, headquartered in Taiwan, holds the largest share of the world's foundry (contract chip manufacturing) market?
  3. In the chip shortage of around 2020-2021, why was automobile production heavily affected?
  4. Which small computer, embedded in appliances, cars and other equipment to control them, integrates a CPU, memory and I/O circuits on one chip?
  5. What is it called when large cloud providers and the like design their own chips specialized for AI processing and other tasks for their data centers and have them made by foundries?