RAB Source Entry 1-Quinton

My research question is: What are the causes and effects of the ongoing semiconductor shortage?

Source Entry for  “Op-Ed: The United States Semiconductor Talent Shortage.”

Part 1: MLA Citation

Yue, Jack. “Op-Ed: The United States Semiconductor Talent Shortage.” Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, 20 Jan. 2023, https://funginstitute.berkeley.edu/news/op-ed-the-united-states-semiconductor-talent-shortage/. 

Part 2: Summary

In the text, Op-Ed: The United States Semiconductor Talent Shortage, Jack Yue displays how production of semiconductors in the United States could be increased. The author emphasizes the importance of semiconductors and their uses in modern society. Then, the text examines where semiconductors are produced, delays to the supply chain, and what the United States is doing about delays. The author continues by presenting attracting expertise from elsewhere as a potential solution to the U.S.’s relative lack of semiconductor production. Jack Yue concludes by urging the government to incentivize education related to semiconductor manufacturing with funding.

Part 3: Reflection with quotes and my opinion

I agree with the author’s statement that ‘the US government should establish more primacy in cooperating with universities on training the next epoch of engineers to bring more talent to designing these processes in the United States.’. Promoting the production of semiconductors could be seen as a matter of national security because of tensions between China and Taiwan, which is responsible for ‘the production of 54% of the global market while producing 90% of the most advanced chips’, according to the text. Jack Yue claims “However, there should be more stimuli for college graduates to become involved in this industry such as higher salaries, competitive benefits, and meaningful impact on work.” He also uses the CHIPS and Science Act as evidence. These make me wonder about promoting the education required to make semiconductors before the collegiate level.

Part 3B: Rhetorical/Genre Analysis

The genre of the text is op-ed. This is intended to express the author’s opinion to the reader. The style of Jack Yue’s writing is formal and supported with outside sources. The intended audience is other students. The author uses pathos in the introduction of the text to draw in the viewer. The text is a credible source, as it has been peer reviewed by an educational institution, is under a year old, clearly cites it’s sources, and was written by an author with relevant knowledge.

Part 4: Notable Quotables (with author name and page)

“The majority producer of the world’s semiconductor chips right now is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) located in Taiwan, and they control the production of 54% of the global market while producing 90% of the most advanced chips as shown in Figure 1” (Yue).

“The technical knowledge of how to produce and manufacture these chips is still heavily safeguarded since these are commercial products, and there has not been significant support for students in the US to pursue a career in this industry in the past compared to Asian countries” (Yue).

“Currently, the United States only produces 6% of semiconductor chips while Asia produces 80% of the global supply. (Jazeera 2022) This is a major problem considering that semiconductors are effectively utilized in all aspects of computing” (Yue).

“Trade regulations, high tariffs, weather-induced factory shutdowns, and general disruption of daily life due to war all contribute to the interruption between supplying the raw material to make these chips to producing them” (Yue).