一块芯片的代价

xīn piàn芯片shì是xiàn dài现代diàn电zǐ子chǎn pǐn产品lǐ里zuì最xiǎo小de的bù jiàn部件，yě也shì是zuì最nán难zuò做de的nà那yī一kuài块。

A chip is the smallest component in modern electronics, and also the hardest one to make.

yī一kē颗gāo高xìng néng性能de的xīn piàn芯片yào要jīng guò经过jǐ几bǎi百dào道gōng xù工序，rèn hé任何yī一bù步chū出wèn tí问题dōu都dé得zhòng重lái来。

A high-performance chip goes through hundreds of process steps, and a fault at any one of them means starting over.

yán fā研发yī一kuǎn款xīn新xīn piàn芯片tōng cháng通常yào hǎo要好jǐ几nián年，tóu rù投入de的zī jīn资金xiāng dāng相当jīng rén惊人。

Developing a new chip usually takes years, and the money invested is startling.

yǒu xiē有些gōng sī公司xuǎn zé选择shòu quán授权bié ren别人de的jì shù技术，xiān先zhàn占zhù住shì chǎng市场，zài再màn màn慢慢zì jǐ自己kāi fā开发。

Some companies license other firms' technology, hold the market first, and develop their own gradually.

zhì zào制造guò chéng过程xū yào需要dà liàng大量shù jù数据hé和fú wù服务qì器，duì对diàn电hé和shuǐ水de的xiāo hào消耗yě也hěn很dà大。

The manufacturing process needs huge amounts of data and servers, and consumes a great deal of power and water.

jìn近jǐ几nián年gè各guó国dōu都jiā qiáng加强le了jiān guǎn监管，chū tái出台le了bù shǎo不少tiáo lì条例xiàn zhì限制chū kǒu出口。

In recent years many countries have tightened supervision and issued regulations restricting exports.

yǒu有qǐ yè企业yīn wèi因为shè xián涉嫌wéi fǎn违反guī dìng规定bèi被diào chá调查，fá罚jīn金xiāng dāng相当gāo高。

Some firms have been investigated on suspicion of breaking the rules, with very heavy penalties.

zhè这gè个háng yè行业de的tè diǎn特点shì是：tóu rù投入dà大、zhōu qī周期zhǎng长，dàn但yī dàn一旦lǐng xiān领先jiù就hěn很nán难bèi被chāo yuè超越。

The feature of this industry is that it demands heavy investment and long cycles — yet once you lead, you are hard to overtake.