Semiconductors in short supply

[begreen]

Moved this to a new thread from the EV grid discussion

On another front, there is a developing issue with a shortage of semiconductors for the auto industry. Chipmakers tend to favor the electronics industry instead. They pay better and understand the tech better. Apple for example uses more semiconductors than the entire automotive industry. Consumer electronics sales have boomed during the pandemic, leaving the auto industry scrambling. Word is that short supplies could affect the production of up to a million vehicles this year.

Analysis: Carmakers wake up to new pecking order as chip crunch intensifies

The semiconductor crunch that has battered the auto sector leaves carmakers with a stark choice: pay up, stock up or risk getting stuck on the sidelines as chipmakers focus on more lucrative business elsewhere.

www.reuters.com

Carmakers have been hit hard by a global chip shortage — here’s why

Silicon chips are the lifeblood of the tech-obsessed world we live in, but today they're in short supply.

www.cnbc.com

 

[semipro]

Apple for example uses more semiconductors than the entire automotive industry.

That's amazing, especially when you consider the amount of electronic equipment in vehicles now.
It's also interesting given that Apple is getting serious about marketing cars under their name, having approached at least Nissan about building them, if not others.

 

[spirilis]

On another front, there is a developing issue with a shortage of semiconductors for the auto industry. Chipmakers tend to favor the electronics industry instead. They pay better and understand the tech better. Apple for example uses more semiconductors than the entire automotive industry. Consumer electronics sales have boomed during the pandemic, leaving the auto industry scrambling. Word is that short supplies could affect the production of up to a million vehicles this year.

Analysis: Carmakers wake up to new pecking order as chip crunch intensifies

The semiconductor crunch that has battered the auto sector leaves carmakers with a stark choice: pay up, stock up or risk getting stuck on the sidelines as chipmakers focus on more lucrative business elsewhere.

www.reuters.com

Carmakers have been hit hard by a global chip shortage — here’s why

Silicon chips are the lifeblood of the tech-obsessed world we live in, but today they're in short supply.

www.cnbc.com

Electrifying Everything, imo, should be a HUGE growth opportunity for semiconductors. Curious where the real "constraints" lie here.

I am aware that semiconductor foundries are a long and difficult thing to build; this feels like one of those matters where we need guaranteed demand, a guaranteed signal & funding to build them, lest the "energy transition" dies on the vine due to lack of supplies, while suppliers can't seem to find the security to build new capacity.

 

[peakbagger]

IBM paid Global Foundries over billion dollars to take a couple of US semiconductor plants off their hands. This is just a issue that the production of these chips were shipped offshore by underpricing the market Once the competition disappeared then the remaining producers call the shots

 

[peakbagger]

Sound familiar ? Not just fancy stuff

Chinese Factories Won't Build Enough Boxes To Save US Shippers

There are still not enough containers in the right places to carry the world's cargoes. The hope was that Chinese container factories would shift into ultra-high gear — that the industry would build its way out of the equipment crisis. It hasn't happened. In fact, Chinese factories are...

www.yahoo.com

US citizens seem to forget that its the wild wild west once stuff goes offshore, Stuff that is illegal in the US is common business practice off shore.

 

[begreen]

Sound familiar ? Not just fancy stuff

Chinese Factories Won't Build Enough Boxes To Save US Shippers

There are still not enough containers in the right places to carry the world's cargoes. The hope was that Chinese container factories would shift into ultra-high gear — that the industry would build its way out of the equipment crisis. It hasn't happened. In fact, Chinese factories are...

www.yahoo.com

US citizens seem to forget that its the wild wild west once stuff goes offshore, Stuff that is illegal in the US is common business practice off shore.

Off-topic. This is not just China. Taiwan is a major semiconductor manufacturing center. They are running 24/7. The issue is a dramatically increasing demand plus the auto industry's needs, while IoT, 5G etc. are taking off. It doesn't help that their understanding of the semiconductor industry is limited.

 

[woodgeek]

A major issue re semiconductors is that there are two business models: chip manufacturers can design and build the chips to do what they think the customer's want OR they can let the customers design the chips (down to the transistor level) and then just make them to order (ASICs). Intel is the main proponent of the former model, but a lot of companies that want something intel doesn't make just go to ASICs. Right now, all the ASICs makers are in China and Taiwan. iPhone has been running on ASIC processors for many years now, which do far better on performance/watt benchmarks than anything Intel sells.

If China cut off ASIC sales, Taiwan cannot supply US needs at all. The US is currently trying to figure out how to address this strategic problem, by building ASIC plants here. Intel is not helping, bc it sees design as its trademark business model, and refuses to build ASICs.

 

[UpStateNY]

The cost of the compact fast 7nanometers chip technology means that is cost multiple billions investment to fab and make these chips. Hence there are only a few places on the planet earth that make chips. Google it to find out who makes chips.

INTEL IS DEAD - Outsourcing Chip Manufacturing