Title: 6 Causes of the Global Semiconductor Shortage | The Motley Fool
Headings: 6 Causes of the Global Semiconductor Shortage
6 Causes of the Global Semiconductor Shortage
The world's top chipmakers still can't manufacture chips fast enough to satisfy the market's insatiable appetite.
1. Intel's big mistakes
2. Declining memory chip prices
3. The COVID-19 crisis
4. Secular tailwinds
5. The ongoing tech war
6. More challenges ahead
What does this shortage mean for investors?

Content: However, the pandemic temporarily disrupted semiconductor shipments as global demand for new mobile devices, PCs, and data center upgrades surged in response to remote work, online learning, and other stay-at-home trends. Most chipmakers recovered from their initial disruptions, and TSMC stayed online because its most advanced plants in Taiwan weren't affected. Memory chipmakers also quickly ramped up their production again in response to that rising demand. But the chip sector still couldn't satisfy the market's appetite for new chips. TSMC's fabs have already been running at over-100% utilization over the past 12 months, and it recently announced it would spend $100 billion over the next three years to expand its operations. Intel also recently warned that the global chip shortage could last two more years and would require "immense" investments to resolve. 4. Secular tailwinds
Global demand for chips has generally been cyclical over the past few decades. However, the secular growth of new technologies -- including cloud services, 5G networks, and AI services -- is feeding a "super cycle" of chip upgrades that could last much longer than a traditional cycle. Image source: