The manufacturing sector has a particular importance in any advanced economy. As Lawrence and Edwards write: "Manufacturing activity is strongly associated with economic growth, because manufacturing serves as the fulcrum of supply chains that combine and process raw materials and services to produce goods. In addition, the sector is among the most dynamic -- accounting for about 70 percent of US spending on business research and development -- and it regularly outstrips the rest of the economy in productivity growth."
Pave the world with computronium and what happens?