Firmware

The term firmware "is applied to computer programs that are stored in a type of memory (a ROM) that can in general only be read, not erased or changed easily. Firmware are chips that contain information beyond the minimum necessary to turn on the computer. They contain attributes of both hardware and software. Like hardware, they are integral to the machine as a form of circuitry through which electric current passes directly. But, like software, they do serve as repositories for computer instructions in object code. Firmware is used both for protection and for higher speed.”