美国国家公共电台 NPR--How the new CHIPS Act could ease supply constraints

How the new CHIPS Act could ease supply constraints¹

Transcript²

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Will Hunt, analyst³ at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, about the semiconductor⁴ industry and how the new CHIPS Act could ease supply constraints.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

For most of us, it required a global supply chain disruption to realize that semiconductors⁵ power nearly everything. From cellphones to cars, to refrigerators, small silicon⁶ transistors⁷ keep the global economy running. But Taiwan, China and South Korea dominate manufacturing of the most advanced microchips. So Congress recently passed the $260 billion CHIPS and Science Act, with more than $50 billion to build new manufacturing facilities called fabs. I spoke⁸ with research analyst Will Hunt of Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology about the U.S. dependency on tech from abroad and how that relates to the tensions between China and Taiwan.

WILL HUNT: The most urgent threat that needs to be addressed with the CHIPS and Science Act funding is the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. If China were to invade Taiwan tomorrow, the U.S. and the world, really, would lose access to 85% of all leading-edge microprocessors⁹, about two-thirds of more mature microprocessors and also about half of all DRAM chips, which are one of the two major types of memory chips. So those are the chips that go into, basically, all electronics, you know, everything from smartphones to weapons systems to supercomputers.

And it's sort of hard to wrap your head around the economic and security implications of, you know, a potential Chinese invasion because we would simultaneously¹⁰ be facing a major foreign policy crisis. There would be shortages in the chips that are powering, you know, intelligence and military applications, as well as critical infrastructure¹¹. And there would be a global and domestic economic crisis...

FADEL: Wow.

HUNT: ...Which could dwarf¹² the current chip shortage in terms of its economic impacts.

FADEL: You know, it's interesting because we're seeing the impact of the grain shortage with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the disastrous¹³ effects it has on global food supplies. And so this really would be the tech equivalent if we saw some type of disruption when it comes to the chips in Taiwan and that manufacturing.

HUNT: That's right. And I think it's even, unfortunately, potentially, much more dire¹⁴ (laughter). The recent semiconductor shortage that we've seen has been driven by just a sudden increase in demand, which is comparatively mild, actually. Whereas what we're talking about is losing large chunks¹⁵ of the leading-edge chips that really power the whole global economy. So it's - modeling the potential impacts is an incredibly uncertain business. But you can easily end up with, you know, trillions of dollars of the economy impacted.

FADEL: What would that look like?

HUNT: It's really difficult to even imagine. But certainly, it would impact leading-edge research that's being done on large supercomputers or just data centers. And then there are all sorts of downstream industries that rely on chips. And it's not all leading-edge chips as well. I mean, it's things like cars. Of course, we've seen the price of cars skyrocket, especially used cars. An increasing proportion of the value of cars comes from semiconductors, mostly not leading-edge. Even the trailing-edge chips are substantially concentrated in Taiwan and China. So it would be an economy-wide impact.

FADEL: It feels so massive, though. And this - and these escalating¹⁶ tensions are happening right now. Is the CHIPS Act something that actually is a solution here?

HUNT: I think it's certainly an important and historic part of a potential solution. It's the beginning. So passing the CHIPS and Science Act is certainly a first step. And then the next steps that are needed - I mean, you need to, first of all, make sure that the funding goes to the right places. So semiconductor fabrication facilities cost huge amounts of money. So if you're not building the right kinds of facilities in the United States, then you might not actually be creating more resilience to these kinds of worst-case scenarios¹⁷.

Then you also have to make sure that you're working with allies to also make sure that they're mitigating¹⁸ against these risks. And then you need to make sure that, you know, structural¹⁹ issues are addressed, so things like high-skilled STEM talent being able to come to the United States from abroad and stay, things like streamlining permitting processes for building fabs. It takes longer to build fabs in the United States than it does in other countries, just largely because of permitting issues. So making sure that it's possible to build fabs on a reasonable timeline, I think those are some of the things that...

FADEL: Yeah.

HUNT: ...We need to prioritize going forward. But it certainly has a real potential to make a difference if we play our cards right.

FADEL: Will Hunt, thank you so much for your time.

HUNT: Thank you very much.

1 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 semiconductor   

n.半导体

参考例句：

• In the beginning,engineers hoped to use semiconductor lasers.在开始时，工程师们希望能够利用半导体激光器。
• The main agent of the company brand semiconductor sales.本公司主要代理各品牌半导体销售。

5 semiconductors   

n.半导体( semiconductor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Crystals may be insulators, semiconductors, or conductors. 晶体可以是绝缘体，半导体，或导体。 来自辞典例句
• Semiconductors containing such impurities are called p-type semiconductors. 含有这类杂质的半导体叫做P型半导体。 来自辞典例句

6 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

7 transistors   

晶体管( transistor的名词复数 )； 晶体管收音机，半导体收音机

参考例句：

• In semiconductor receivers transistors take the place of vacuum tubes. 在半导体收音机中晶体管代替了真空管。
• We often turn to this handbook for information on transistors. 我们常从这本手册查阅有关晶体管的资料。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 microprocessors   

微（信息）处理机( microprocessor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This sort of work would have been inconceivable before the advent of microprocessors. 在微处理机问世之前这种工作是难以想象的。
• In microprocessors, the name used for the IEEE interface bus standard. 微处理机中，IEEE接口总线标准的名字。

10 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

13 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

14 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

15 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

16 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

17 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

18 mitigating   

v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Are there any mitigating circumstances in this case ? 本案中是否有任何情况可以减轻被告的罪行？ 来自辞典例句
• A sentencing judge is required to consider any mitigating circumstances befor imposing the death penalty. 在处死刑之前，要求量刑法官必须考虑是否有任何减轻罪行之情节。 来自口语例句

19 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。