Something as small as a single tiny electronic component that suddenly becomes unavailable from one day to the next can cause enormous economic damage. This is all the more alarming as the list of potential weak points in supply chains has been growing longer and longer, and not just since the start of the Corona pandemic.
The member states are, according to sources, expected to reach an agreement soon regarding the EU’s multibillion-euro semiconductor rejuvenation plan – the EU Chips Act.
Component obsolescence is something unavoidable. It’s in the nature of our industry to keep innovating and thus leaving the old behind. But component obsolescence should not mean product obsolescence.
While the EU equivalent still hasn’t officially been launched, the U.S. CHIPS Act has already sparked USD 200 billion in private investments across the country. But where are all of these new fabs going to be built?