TELF AG illustrates the types and uses of the main semiconductors
A variety of possible applications
They are small technological components that silently accompany every person’s daily life, making the operation of numerous devices possible: computers, cell phones, and many more (cars included). We are referring to semiconductors, which in recent years – also thanks to the multiplicity of their possible applications – have become undisputed protagonists of the international economic scene, also due to the notable increase in their sales at a global level – more than 1000 billion per year – and the materials used for their creation. There are more than 300 materials used for their production, and among them, silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide stand out, whose importance in the global scenarios of strategic raw materials appears to be continuously growing. These tiny chips, also contained in hypersonic fighters and space-walking rovers, are produced through the manufacture of silicon wafers on which the circuits are subsequently engraved, with the support of various chemicals products to modify the electrical conductivity.
However, few people have an in-depth knowledge of the varied universe of semiconductors, with all its differentiations based on the specific function of the chip within the device for which it is intended. One of the most important categories – which continues to achieve the best performances in terms of sales – is undoubtedly that of the chips used for CPUs, i.e., for the processors that make smartphones and computers work. Over the last period, CPUs have also found a concrete application space in the field of artificial intelligence, with companies like Google or Meta using these processors to power advanced machine learning systems (Semiconductors are also widely used in GPUs, which represent the graphics cards of the devices, with a foreseeable increase in strategic centrality due to the different applications linked to quantum technology and the internet of things).
Other typologies
Other possible categories, unrelated to the previous one, are those related to memory chips, which in 2023 totaled sales of around 92 billion dollars, and chips defined as analog. Analog chips can transmit information in response to variable factors such as temperature or voltage, all characteristics that make them widely used in sensors and energy management processes.
The vastness of their possible uses over the last few years has also led to a notable increase in the sales volumes of semiconductors at a global level, with clear differentiations based on the specific sector they belong to. According to estimates from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, in 2023, sales of semiconductors for smartphones accounted for approximately 32% of total chip sales, while those related to the personal computer sector did not go beyond 25%. Another relevant portion, although smaller than the others, relates to the automotive industry, which in just one year grew by 3% (representing 17% of the total). In cars, semiconductors are responsible for the functioning of some engine components and safety devices.
A further element of differentiation in the great universe of semiconductors is linked to their size, which is always measured in nanometers: semiconductors with 65-nanometer chips, for example, are used above all in the automotive sector, in particular, because of their technical characteristics and lower production costs compared to advanced chips.
