The South Korean electronics conglomerate Samsung is sounding the alarm on the fallout that the global chip shortage may have, not only on the automotive industry but, more generally, on the entire technology sector. “There is a serious imbalance between supply and demand in the IT industry globally. It’s hard to say that the shortage problem has been 100% solved,” said co-chief executive, Koh Dong-jin at a meeting of shareholders. This was revealed by the Financial Times, which recalls the previous alarms from Ford and General Motors about semiconductor shortages.
Leading global chip makers have long struggled to keep up with market demand, which has increased due to various phenomena including the coronavirus pandemic and the China-US trade war. For now, this global shortage of microchips has almost exclusively affected the automotive sector, where they are essential for the functioning of many non-mechanical elements of a car, from the on-board computer to parking sensors. But Samsung, which is also one of the largest microchip manufacturers in the world, has said that supply problems could affect the production of other devices, such as computers and consoles. Even Qualcomm, an American company that designs microchips for smartphones and various devices, recently said that the shortage of chips is beginning to cause concern.