Strictly speaking, almost every single industry on the planet relies on semiconductors to at least some degree. Unless a business is working to completely accomplish all of its daily chores without the benefit of modern technology, they’re going to use semiconductors in some way. We narrowed this list down to five major sectors that simply wouldn’t exist without the benefit of modern semiconductor-based equipment.
1. Information Technology
At this point, the IT sector is more or less synonymous with the semiconductor business. Computer chips are the most visible application of semiconductor technology to many people. An entire financial industry has sprung up around speculation on what types of silicon wafers different chip manufacturers will elect to use for their next-generation devices. Artificial intelligence researchers have spurred on the adoption of graphics processing units that consist of hundreds of transistors piled on top of one another.
2. Food Service
Pundits probably wouldn’t bring up this industry when thinking about the impact of semiconductors on the business environment. Food preparation is done under lights powered by light-emitting diodes and meals are made on glass cooktops controlled by integrated circuits. Even microwave ovens use semiconductor oscillators, which have made them small enough to fit into a kitchen corner. This represents a huge step forward over the magnetron tube, which made microwaves physically larger than they needed to be.
3. Power Generation
While the electrical grid predates the discovery of many modern semiconducting materials, smart grid technology couldn’t exist without these advanced tools. Intelligent industrial power sensing equipment relies almost completely on solid-state equipment. This kind of gear enables the power grid to adapt to changing conditions, which reduces the risk of blackouts and may even help to cut down on the amount of power consumers use. As wildfires and extreme weather events threaten the power grid, this application of semiconductor technology will become increasingly important. Regulatory bodies might even begin to require it in the coming years, thus making it even more of a visibility commodity.
4. Broadcasting
Transistor radios were one of the earliest uses of commercial-grade semiconductors, and the broadcast industry continues to be a major user of them. Digital transmission systems need chips that can decode compression algorithms fast enough that television viewers don’t notice anything. New 5G-based broadcasting protocols are allowing people with certain types of cellular handsets to receive streaming content over the air without the use of an Internet connection. Digital Radio Mondiale and other related technologies are also revolutionizing the way that world band listeners receive content.
5. Telecommunications
Considering that transistors were originally invented as a way to phase out vacuum tubes used by the telephone network, it makes sense that this is still one of the biggest users of them today. With the push for quantum computing-enabled communications technology, it’s likely that this sector will absorb even more of the world’s available chipsets. Wireless carriers are integrating AI and blockchain-based solutions into their switching networks, which is making them even hungrier for sophisticated ICs. This increased demand is driving advancements in semiconductor technology, leading to faster, more efficient chips capable of handling complex computations and vast amounts of data.