Chip out of stock extends the semiconductor ecological chain

The global chip shortage is mainly due to insufficient production capacity, and the scheduled delivery of chips must be extended, causing market supply to exceed demand. However, the current shortage of chips may spread back to the production side. As the global chip shortage has spread to the field of chip manufacturing equipment, chip packaging equipment manufacturers have warned that due to chip shortages, the delivery period will be extended, which will make the market expect fab operators to expand production and ease the shortage of chip supply.
 
According to the report, Chan Pin Chong, executive vice president of Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc., a leading global semiconductor packaging and testing manufacturer, ASE Investment and Control Packaging Equipment Supplier, said that the current delivery time for packaging equipment that requires a microcontroller (MCU) has doubled than before. Growth, delivery time is more than 6 months. Even if foundries and partners try to expand production capacity to meet market demand, they still cannot effectively solve the problem.
 
The report emphasized that the panel maker Innolux and the personal computer brand Asustek have warned that the market is tight at this stage. The reason is that in the chip packaging and testing phase, manufacturers cannot obtain equipment from Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc. to expand their factories, causing the chips to continue to be in short supply. Chan Pin Chong pointed out that the chip is very important to the equipment, but at this stage it is not possible to obtain enough chips. As for the imbalance of the global semiconductor market, the shortage may continue until the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022.
 
The report pointed out that Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc.'s lack of chips is the latest warning sign of the recent spread of chip shortages. The impact of global chip shortages has caused automakers to shut down production lines. Consumer electronics manufacturers are also slowing down production. Samsung warned that due to severe chip supply and demand imbalance, it is expected to impact Samsung's overall financial revenue in the next quarter. How to actively improve has become the most important issue for the global semiconductor industry.