The American government wants to help tackle the global chip shortage by better-exchanging information between chip companies and customers about the distribution of semiconductors.
This is what Minister of Trade Gina Raimondo said after consultation with several chip companies and essential customers.
According to Raimondo, there is now too little transparency in the chip supply chain. She had discussions about the deficit with executives at a range of major companies, including Apple, Google parent Alphabet, auto groups Ford Motor and General Motors (GM), telecom companies AT&T and Verizon, and chip makers TSMC, Qualcomm, GlobalFoundries and Samsung.
Raimondo also urged Congress to quickly approve President Joe Biden’s investment plans in chip production in the United States. Biden wants to allocate more than 50 billion dollars to increase the domestic production capacity of chips in order to become less dependent on Asian suppliers in particular. The shortages have forced significant carmakers in the US and beyond to shut down factories temporarily.
Trade Minister Raimondo also met with the South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy today to discuss the problems in the supply of chips. Expectations are that directors of South Korean chip companies will also be present at that meeting. Biden receives South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the White House.
