Cars or machines without microchips are hard to imagine. In some industries, semiconductors could remain scarce for longer than feared.
According to experts, the shortage of semiconductors with its negative consequences for carmakers, for example, will drag on well into the coming year.
In some areas, such as memory chips, the situation should only relax with the commissioning of fresh capacities in the years 2023 to 2024, said Alan Priestley from the analysis company Gartner of the German press agency. The recovery in individual sectors will proceed differently given the different origins of the problems.
The car manufacturers, for example, were hit particularly hard by a “perfect storm” with a combination of technological change and corona effects. When the demand for automobiles plummeted at the beginning of the pandemic, the industry, which traditionally operated with low inventory levels, cut back orders from chip providers. “After the market began to recover later in the year, they wanted to buy more chips again – but the manufacturers have meanwhile shifted capacities to other products that are in high demand.”
Another problem, especially for the automotive industry, is that it had to commit to certain semiconductor configurations a few years ago when developing today’s vehicle models – for which there are also increased requirements in terms of reliability. “The scope for switching to alternatives is correspondingly narrow.” In addition, the automotive industry, with tens of millions of vehicles per year, has much less market power than the smartphone providers, for example, who need chips for hundreds of millions of devices.
The surge in demand for notebooks for working and learning from home in the pandemic also contributed to the utilization of the existing chip factories, stressed Priestley. As a result, more simple semiconductors were needed again, such as those used in power supplies. In this area in particular, however, capacities have been reduced over the years – and cannot be rebuilt in a short time.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
