More than a year in shortages and new challenges

August 6, 2022 | 05:00.

Global crisis Semiconductors Which was blown up at the end of 2020 gradually began to be resolved, but the road to recovery is long and swings between geopolitical conflicts.

The last visit of the president Parliament Taiwan’s Nancy Pelosi caused a decline in the shares of the main companies of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) s United Microelectronics.

It may interest you: Pelosi in Taiwan rocks semiconductor market; Stocks down more than 2%

Pelosi sees an opportunity to ally with Taiwan under the leadership Chip Code It was recently approved in the US, but his journey is seen as a challenge to China, The island is considered part of its territory and can apply retaliatory measures that cause larger changes in the supply chain.

Currently, the Asian giant has stopped sand exports to Taiwan and has banned the import of some fruits and fish.

Pandemic, the origin of chip shortage

The semiconductor crisis worsened at the end of 2021, driven by restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 This has led to an increase in the demand for electronic devices to study and work from home.

according to Goldman SachsImpacts have reached 169 industries to some extent, from cement to furniture, but one of the most stressed industries is the automobile industry, which allocates 4.7% of its GDP to microchips and others. Semiconductors.

Before the pandemic, car companies were already ordering more chips due to the move to electric units and more automated units and as competition for components with other industries grew, they struggled From supply caused interruption of production lines.

Consulate IHS Market It is estimated that chip shortages reduced auto production by as much as 7.1 million units in 2021 and it is estimated that supply will begin to return to normal by the second quarter of 2022.

blow to the auto industry in mexico

The National Auto Parts Industry (INA) It is estimated that the North American region, to which Mexico belongs, has been hardest hit by the chip shortage causing 247,2038 cars to stop manufacturing.

CEO of the organization, Albert Bustamante, He commented in July that the shortage is no longer critical, but cautioned that the effects would continue into the early part of 2023.

Read also: Economic environment and chip shortage still put the “handbrake” in the auto industry

This shortage is reflected in the limited stocks at the dealerships that have kept the country’s cars for sale since last year.

The end is still far away

The shortage of chips has prompted semiconductor companies to manufacture more parts, while companies that rely on these components have adjusted their plans and purchases to meet the new situation.

According to the Semi Organization, which brings together companies that are part of the electronic product supply chain, semiconductor companies will invest 446,000 million pesos between 2021 and 2023 to expand their reach. production capacity.

Meanwhile, governments in various countries have begun to increase investments in this technology to guard against other disruptions in the supply chain.

The United States recently approved a $52,000 million subsidy with the Chip Act to attract investment in factories European Union It plans to pass a similar law to increase its stake in chip manufacturing and Japan It will cover part of the costs of setting up a joint plant between TSMC and Sony.

However, the issue will take time to fully resolve. according to World Economic ForumThis is partly due to the complexity of chip manufacturing.

In the industry, typical delivery times can be longer than four months for products well established in the manufacturing line, if the purpose is to increase capacity by moving the product to a new facility, another six months is added and a change of manufacturer means a delay of up to a year in the process.