Abstract : {We show that the answer to the Burnside problem is positive for semigroups of matrices with entries in the $(\max,+)$-algebra (that is, the semiring $(\RR\cup\{-\infty\},\max,+)$), and also for semigroups of $(\max,+)$-linear projective maps with rational entries. An application to the estimation of the Lyapunov exponent of certain products of random matrices is also discussed
