U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Thursday it is time to get “aggressive” in addressing the worsening semiconductor chip shortage that has caused automakers and others to cut production and impacted thousands of U.S. workers.
Automakers from General Motors Co. to Toyota Motor Corp. have slashed output and sales forecasts due to scarce chip supplies, made worse by a COVID-19 resurgence in key Asian semiconductor production hubs.
In June, the Senate voted to approve $52 billion to boost U.S. semiconductor production.
“Fundamentally the solution is that we need to make more chips, and we need to make more chips in America, which is why the House can’t pass the Chips Act fast enough, as far as I am concerned. We need the money, we need to make more chips,” Raimondo said.
Companies attending the virtual White House meetings include Detroit’s Big Three automakers, plus Apple Inc., Daimler AG, BMW AG, GlobalFoundries, Micron, Microsoft Corp, Samsung, TSMC, and Intel Corp.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously, compared to a company like Apple, which recognized the impact COVID shutdowns would have – i.e. widespread chip shortages – and planned accordingly, the average automaker had the foresight of a ping pong ball.
See also:
• Apple supplier TSMC to build multibillion-dollar chip plant in Arizona with Trump admin backing – May 14, 2020
• President Trump and Intel CEO announce $7 billion investment in next-gen semiconductor fab in Arizona; will create more than 10,000 jobs – February 8, 2017
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]