U.S. government chip shortage report exposes one big bottleneck across the tech industry
The latest report from the U.S. government substantiates existing claims and provides new info.
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What you need to know
The U.S. Department of Commerce has released its report detailing the findings of the Request for Information (RFI) it kicked off in September 2021. That request caused a bit of a kerfuffle with semiconductor manufacturing giantssuch as TSMC.
Since then, the key chip players have forked over the info, and the U.S. government has a report to share with the world. It contains alotof useful information, so you’ll want to scan the whole thing when you get the chance, but in short, it substantiates a few key findings and company claims we’ve reported on throughout the shortage. For example, a 2021 report indicated many Taiwanese companiespinned the shortage blameon Texas Instruments' inability to ramp up analog chip production, citing it as the root of the semiconductor crisis. And now, the U.S. government has stated that, indeed, a lack of analog chips appears to be one of the biggest contributors to the worldwide situation. Legacy logic and optoelectronics chip shortages are also referenced as being part of the problem.
Here are a few other key findings from the report:
Right there lies the big issue, according to the report: Wafer production isn’t keeping up with demand. For what it’s worth, the big industry players are working overtime to fix that, though solutions involve a lot of planning and developmentover the course of years.
Again, be sure to check out theU.S. Department of Commerce’s full reportfor the in-depth scoop on every facet of the RFI findings. Also peruse the expert indications that thechip shortage’s end may be in sight(at least, an end for the worst parts of it).
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Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He’s a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author ofCold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.
