考研英语水平的进步，不仅要记单词，还需要阅读外语文献等资料。接下来，小编为2024考研者们，整理出——2024考研英语同源外刊:揭开美国芯片制造业的真相，供考生参考。
2024考研英语同源外刊:揭开美国芯片制造业的真相
American chipmakers account for a third of global semiconductor sales. They design the world’s most sophisticated microprocessors, which power smartphones, data centres and, increasingly, artificial-intelligence (AI) models. But neither the American firms nor their Asian contract manufacturers make any such leading-edge chips in America. Given chips’ centrality to modern economies—and, in the age of AI, to war-fighting—that worries policymakers in Washington. Their answer was the CHIPS Act, a $50bn package of subsidies, tax credits and other sweeteners to bring advanced chipmaking back to America, which President Joe Biden signed into law on August 9th 2022.
美国芯片制造商占据全球半导体销售的三分之一。它们设计了世界上较复杂的微处理器，驱动着智能手机、数据中心以及越来越多的人工智能模型。然而，无论是美国的芯片制造商还是它们的亚洲代工厂，都没有在美国本土生产任何一片这样的尖端芯片。鉴于芯片在现代经济中的核心地位——以及在AI时代对战争的重要作用，华盛顿的政策制定者对这种情况感到担忧。为此他们制定了《芯片法案》，试图通过提供500亿美元的一揽子补贴、税收减免和其他优惠措施，把先进芯片制造带回美国。该法案在去年8月9日由总统拜登签署成为法律。
On the surface, the law appears to be having an impact. Since 2020. when it was first floated, chipmakers have announced more than $200bn-worth of investments in America. If all goes to plan, by 2025 American chip factories (fabs, in the lingo) will be churning out 18% of the world’s leading-edge chips. TSMC, a Taiwanese manufacturing behemoth, is splurging $40bn on two fabs in Arizona. Samsung of South Korea is investing $17bn in Texas. Intel, America’s chipmaking champion, will spend $40bn on four fabs in Arizona and Ohio. As the CHIPS Act celebrates its first birthday, and as the administration prepares to start doling out the money, both Democrats and Republicans, who agree on little else these days, regard it as a bipartisan triumph.
表面上看，该法案似乎产生了效果。自2020年该法案首次提出以来，芯片制造商宣布在美国的投资已超过2000亿美元。如果一切按计划进行，到2025年，全球18%的尖端芯片将出自美国本土的芯片工厂(行话叫晶圆厂)。代工巨头台积电正斥资400亿美元在亚利桑那州兴建两家晶圆厂。韩国三星将在得克萨斯州投资170亿美元。美国的芯片制造领军者英特尔将斥资400亿美元，在亚利桑那州和俄亥俄州兴建四座晶圆厂。
Any triumphalism may, however, be premature. Leading-edge fabs being built in America are slower to erect, costlier to run and smaller than those in Asia. Complicating matters further, the chipmakers’ American investment binge comes at a time when demand for their wares appears to be cooling, at least in the short term. That could have consequences for the industry’s long-term profitability.
然而，任何必胜的论调恐怕都喊得过早。相比亚洲的晶圆厂，美国的晶圆厂不仅建设速度慢、运营成本大，规模也相对较小。让情况更复杂的是，正当芯片制造商在美国大举投资之际，市场对芯片的需求似乎正在降温，至少短期内是这样。这可能会影响芯片行业的长期盈利能力。
Some of that extra cost can be defrayed by the CHIPS Act’s handouts. However, that still leaves annual operating expenses, which are 30% higher in America than in Asia, in part owing to higher wages for American workers. If those workers can be found at all: in July TSMC delayed the launch of its first fab in Arizona by a year, to 2025. because it could not find enough staff with semiconductor industry experience.
一部分增加的成本可以用《芯片法案》的补贴来支付。但是还有年营运开支这一块，在美国也比在亚洲多出30%，部分原因是美国的用工成本更大。而且前提是能招到人。7月，因为招不到足够的具有半导体行业经验的员工，台积电将其在亚利桑那州的首家晶圆厂的投产时间延后到2025年，比原计划推迟了一年。
The planned American projects’ smallish size further undermines the economics. The more chips a fab makes, the lower the unit cost. In Arizona, TSMC plans to make 50.000 wafers a month—equivalent to two “mega-fabs”, as the company calls them. Back home in Taiwan, TSMC operates four “giga-fabs”, each producing at least 100.000 wafers a month (in addition to numerous mega-fabs). Morris Chang, TSMC’s founder, has warned that chips made in America will be more expensive.
计划在美国建造的晶圆厂规模相对较小，这进一步影响了经济效益。晶圆厂生产的芯片越多，单位成本就越低。在亚利桑那州，台积电计划每月生产五万片晶圆，相当于该公司所说的两座“大型”晶圆厂的产量。而在台湾本土，台积电经营着四座“超大型”晶圆厂，每座每月至少生产十万片晶圆(此外还有许多“大型”晶圆厂)。台积电创始人张忠谋提醒称在美国制造的芯片会更贵。
单词：
1.edge
/ɛdʒ/
n. 边，边缘; 锋，刃; 优势; 影响力，奇特的品质; (声音里的)尖锐，怒气; (坏事的)边缘，临界点; 棱
v. 缓慢地移动; 给……加边; 险胜; 用球拍边击球; 倾斜滑雪; 修剪(草地边缘); 使锐利，使尖锐
2. sweetener
/ˈswiːtənə/
n.甜料;好处;脱硫设备
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