What is the permanent memory built into your computer called?

Computers contain memory chips that behave differently depending on whether they keep their contents after the power is switched off. A chip whose data is fixed at manufacture and remains available even without power is described as permanent, in contrast to memory that is only usable while the computer is running.

ROM (Read-Only Memory) is exactly this kind of permanent memory: it is built into the computer and retains the essential startup instructions it holds regardless of whether the power is on or off.

RAM cannot be the answer because it is temporary working memory, cleared every time the computer is switched off. The CPU is the processor that carries out instructions, not a storage chip, so it does not fit the description of memory. A CD-ROM is a removable optical disc, not memory built into the computer itself, so although its name contains "ROM", it is a different kind of storage device entirely.

Watch for CD-ROM appearing as a distractor in ROM questions; the shared name is a trap, since CD-ROM is a removable disc, while ROM, as tested here, refers to a chip permanently installed inside the machine.