Economics of semi-conductor production

The semiconductor industry is crucial for all In fo rma t ion Technology (IT) industries. This is especially so for the computer, consumer and communications industries. Integ r a t ed c i rcu i t s (ICs) n o w permeate a vast range of applications and increasingly determ i n e the f o r t u n e s o f the customers and users. No Government or business can ignore this fact anymore though there is a wide disparity of views as to how this is best exploited.