CPU, DRAM, Samsung, TSMC: Key terms, firms to know in global chip crisis

As $160 bn industry battles one of its worst routs, a look at the players who matter

There’s an unprecedented crisis in the memory-chip sector. Less than a year after companies' warnings, the $160 billion industry is suffering one of its worst routs. A glut of chips is sitting in warehouses, customers are cutting orders, and product prices have plunged. The crisis is wiping out cash for industry leaders and destabilising their suppliers.

Here's a look at what are the different kinds of microchips and their major sources.

A microchip, also called an integrated circuit or IC, is a set of electronic circuits on a small flat piece of silicon. On the chip, transistors act as miniature