The Global Chip Shortage Could Last Until 2023

Semiconductors will be in short supply for some time to come yet, according to analysts that monitor the industry.

Today, chips are in everything from PlayStation 5s and toothbrushes to washing machines and alarm clocks. But there’s not enough to go around – it’s a multifaceted issue that shows no signs of abating, leading some to call the current crisis “chipageddon.”

Glenn O’Donnell, a vice president research director at advisory firm Forrester, believes the shortage could last until 2023.

“Because demand will remain high and supply will remain constrained, we expect this shortage to last through 2022 and into 2023,” he wrote in a blog.

Meanwhile, Patrick Armstrong, CIO of Plurimi Investment Managers, told CNBC’s “Street Signs Europe” last week, that he thinks the chip shortage will last 18 months. “It’s not just autos. It’s phones. It’s the internet of everything. There’s so many goods now that have many more chips than they ever did in the past,” he said. “They’re all internet enabled.”

“If you listen to Ford, BMW, Volkswagen, they all highlighted that there’s bottlenecks in capacity and they can’t get the chips they need to manufacture the new cars,” he said.

Elsewhere, Gartner said on Wednesday that the shortage will persist throughout 2021, adding that the shortage impacts all chip types and that chip prices are rising.

Gartner analyst Alan Priestley told CNBC Thursday that the situation may improve for some sectors in the next six months, but that there may be a “knock-on effect” into 2022.

“It shouldn’t go longer,” he said. “The industry is putting more capacity in place, but it does take time.”

Meanwhile, the chief executive of German chipmaker Infineon said last Tuesday that the semiconductor industry is in unchartered territory.

Reinhard Ploss told CNBC’s “Street Signs Europe” last week that it is “very clear it will take time” until supply and demand are rebalanced.

Source: CNBC