The European Union Approves Spending Plan for Computer Chips
2023-07-27
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The European Council gave final approval Tuesday to the European Parliament's plan to expand semiconductor production in Europe.
2Semiconductors are computer chips which are important for everything from washing machines to cars.
3The EU's new law supports its larger aim of decreasing its dependence on Asian manufacturers for computer chips.
4The EU's Chips Act will provide $47 billion in public and private funds and permit state aid for Europe's semiconductor industry.
5EU leaders want to make money available for new semiconductor manufacturing.
6The EU's goal is to double the 27-nation group's share of the world's semiconductor production to 20 percent by 2030.
7Asia produces most of the world's semiconductors.
8The important part Asian chipmakers play became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic.
9Western manufacturers blamed problems with supply chains for shortages of cars, smartphones, and medical devices.
10Governments in Europe and North America are now trying to balance their use of suppliers.
11The U.S. launched its own $52 billion Chips Act, and Britain has a smaller $1.2 billion chip plan.
12Companies like Intel have announced large expansion plans for Europe.
13The EU Chips Act will take effect after it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
14I'm Jill Robbins.
1The European Council gave final approval Tuesday to the European Parliament's plan to expand semiconductor production in Europe. 2Semiconductors are computer chips which are important for everything from washing machines to cars. 3The EU's new law supports its larger aim of decreasing its dependence on Asian manufacturers for computer chips. 4The EU's Chips Act will provide $47 billion in public and private funds and permit state aid for Europe's semiconductor industry. 5EU leaders want to make money available for new semiconductor manufacturing. The EU's goal is to double the 27-nation group's share of the world's semiconductor production to 20 percent by 2030. 6Asia produces most of the world's semiconductors. The important part Asian chipmakers play became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Western manufacturers blamed problems with supply chains for shortages of cars, smartphones, and medical devices. 7Governments in Europe and North America are now trying to balance their use of suppliers. The U.S. launched its own $52 billion Chips Act, and Britain has a smaller $1.2 billion chip plan. Companies like Intel have announced large expansion plans for Europe. 8The EU Chips Act will take effect after it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union. 9I'm Jill Robbins. 10Gregory Stachel adapted this story based on reporting from The Associated Press. 11________________________________________________ 12Words in This Story 13chip - n. a very small piece of hard material (often silicon) that contains many electronic circuits and is used in manufacturing electronic devices 14fund - n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose 15supply chain - n. a network of businesses that supply the materials and parts needed to provide people with products and goods 16________________________________________________ 17What do you think of this story? 18We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 19Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.