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TAP TIMES -9- MAY-JUNE 2022
In the time of COVID (from 8) The virus and its multiple permutations
has been catastrophic for many industries,
Suddenly, with much of the population including restaurants, travel and leisure
forbidden or unwilling to leave their homes services. For some industries, includ-
for work, computers, smartphones and ing semiconductors, however, COVID has
other devices — all semiconductor based proven to be an unexpected boon.
— have ecome an essential part of every-
one’s daily armamentarium. In the first year of the virus, 2020, world-
wide semiconductor revenue grew 10.8
Schools closed percent to $464 billion, according to con-
By mid-year 2020, most semiconductor sultant IDC.
makers told a large number of their work-
ers to do their jobs remotely, and schools A time of shortages
at all levels turned to remote instruction The Corona virus brought with it shortages
with apps such as Zoom. in many commodity products users typi-
cally find on well-stocked shelves and sud-
This meant computers — and lots of them den shortages in many semiconductors.
— which in turn put pressure on suppliers
of memory, particularly DRAM. The re- With so many recent car models depen-
sult sent unit shipments of the BIG THREE dening on semiconductors for their Ad-
memory makers — Samsung, SK hynix vanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
both of South Korea and Boise, Idaho’s and car engine needs, chip suppliers heard
Micron Technology — soaring. next page