When we talk about the shortage of chips, it seems that we always end up talking about the same thing. Its crisis has affected so many industries that it is also understandable that there are endless predictions and forecasts about when the landscape could change. And although there are no two companies that think the same, there is a consensus that at least for this year the shortage of semiconductors will continue to be suffered. But despite this, encouraging data has arrived from Foxconn.
The Taiwanese company, which stands out for being the main manufacturer of the iPhone and for offering its services to other large companies such as Sony and Nintendo, ensures that the shortage of chips is beginning to show “signs of relief” . This does not mean that the problem will be solved overnight, of course, but it is an important development.
According to Bloomberg, the news was made known through James Wu, spokesman for Foxconn. The representative of the Asian company indicated that a “significant improvement” in the shortage of chips is expected for the first quarter of 2022. However, only during the second semester would there be a reduction in the restrictions on obtaining components for the devices it manufactures. the company.
The latter is in line with what the company had already stated in November of last year. The difference is that, at the time, Foxconn expected the chip shortage to continue until at least the second part of this year; but with the new positive signs, even if they do not imply an immediate return to normality, they could face the difficulties in the supply chain with a different face.
The shortage of chips gives positive signs, but victory cannot be claimed yet
Foxconn's report on the chip shortage makes it clear that the positive signs seen are important, but not enough to claim victory. The company indicates that power management components are still particularly hard to come by, to mention one example.
Keep in mind that Foxconn has been one of the many companies that have been horrified by chip shortages. To the point that, in 2021, both this company and Pegatron would have had to suspend the production of the iPhone for the first time in 10 years.
That is why his vision regarding the signs of a possible appeasement is also interesting, beyond the fact that there are difficult months ahead. Of course, the analysis of the Taiwanese is surely not shared by all the exponents of the technological field. Intel and automotive companies such as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Volkswagen, to name a few, consider that the semiconductor crisis could last until 2023.
For its part, the United States believes that at least until the second half of this year, history will continue to be complicated. The Joe Biden administration conducted an investigation which found that companies do not have components in inventory for more than five days, and that they are in an even more fragile position if there is another disruption production at the international level, whether due to the pandemic or other factors.
Both the Americans and the European Union have their respective plans to combat the chip shortage. Both propose to allocate billions of dollars (or euros) to encourage the installation of new factories that allow not to depend on Asia. However, it is clear that is not a solution designed for the short or medium term.
