Title: There's a global shortage of computer chips – what's causing it? | New Scientist
Headings: There's a global shortage of computer chips – what's causing it?
There's a global shortage of computer chips – what's causing it?
What is causing the shortages?
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Was there any backup stock of computer chips?
Read more: Virtual computer chip tests expose flaws and protect against hackers
Why can’t chip manufacturers just increase output to meet demand?
How will this affect me?
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Which manufacturers are affected?
How long will it last?
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Content: US chip firm Xilinx has had to suspend some sales to Chinese consumer electronics company Huawei after then-President Donald Trump put Huawei on a trade blacklist over national security fears. China is now working on building up its own production of chips. The US is doing the same, and getting TSMC to build a $12 billion chip factory on its own shores. Everyone wants to be able to guarantee their own supply of chips, and the current shortage has made it an even higher priority. As if that wasn’t enough, the weather is also against many chip-makers. The manufacturing process requires lots of water. TSMC makes chips for dozens of companies and churns through 156,000 tonnes of water a day normally. But there are serious droughts in Taiwan at the moment, reservoirs are drying up and the firm is now bringing water to the factory in trucks. And there’s still more. A fire struck a chip factory in Japan in October, while an unseasonably cold snap in Texas also temporarily shut down plants there.