How Japan’s Quake Disaster May Damage Tech Business

First and foremost, the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and then breakdown of nuclear reactors are horrific tragedies. Most of the globe focuses on the loss of human life, numbering in the tens of thousands, with many more displaced. Every day, reports emerge about how the tragedy will affect the rest of the globe in numerous ways. Global businesses and consumers will soon realize just how much they rely on high-tech innovation and industry coming from Japan, the world’s third largest economy, explains Kit Eaton for Fast Company. Power outages have forced server shutdowns for gaming and likely other more crucial activities along with production of a few key technologies, including NAND flash memory, a static memory in smart phones and tablets; chip materials and silicon wafers; DRAM chips, a static memory system; and high-tech batteries. The massive earthquake shifted the country’s geographic position, too, and Japanese digital maps and GPS devices may be off by a few meters. – YaleGlobal