Like Sam, the mango farmer, many of us haveinvested a great deal of our hard-earned money in 4DS; and perhaps like Sam,our partners/family have put pressure on our decision to invest in a chip.
To explain to my wife, that we need to be patient(at least for another 6-12mnths) I had to provide an explanation.
The following article written by Atul Singh,the founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief of Fair Observer was useful and may also help others in this group.
Why are Semiconductors a Really Big Deal.
Tiny semiconductor chips are now used in almost everything, fromrefrigerators and cars to smartphones and missiles. Manufacturing them requirescomplex technology and substantial capital. In the age of AI and smartmanufacturing, semiconductors are the new oil, and the US has acted to blockChina’s access to critical technology and machinery.
Only 12% ofthe world’s semiconductors are now made in the US. In 2022, the average exportprice per chip was $2.16 for the US in contrast to $0.19 for China. So, the USmainly makes complex, high-value chips. With cheaper cost bases, four othermajor global semiconductor producers - China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
Some companies design, others fabricate/manufacture semiconductors and semiconductor devices, such as transistors and integratedcircuits, and still others do both. A few large companies such as Intel, TSMCand Samsung dominate the semiconductor industry.
Thereason why big companies dominate this industry is because it now costs an armand a leg to manufacture semiconductors. A foundry can “cost between $10-$20billion and can take three to five years to build.”
Asmentioned earlier, everything from dishwashers to missiles uses semiconductors.The future might involve even more of the same. The age of artificialintelligence (AI) and smart manufacturing depends on humble semiconductors thatenable cheap computing power. A smart new economy isaround the corner and semiconductors are fundamental to both.
It is forthis reason that the Biden administration launched a new policy to choke off Chinese access to AI and semiconductor technologies.
CNN tellsus that the US “is pulling out all the stops to boost domestic semiconductormanufacturing.” Gone are the days of free trade.
Should the manufacturers of chips require a functional chip with a more advanced design that also reduces the cost of energy consumption by the user in the millions of dollars,then 4DS could be the answer.
