A close-up of an Infineon XMC 4700 microcontroller kit is shown at an exhibition during the annual shareholder meeting of German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon in Munich on 21 February 2019.
Andreas Gebert | Reuters
Top White House national and economic security officials have stepped up efforts to help the U.S. auto industry combat the growing shortage of semiconductor chips that has forced it to cut production worldwide, a spokeswoman for the White House.
President Joe Biden’s administration has held meetings with companies and automotive suppliers to identify asphalt points and has urged companies to work cooperatively to address the shortage, the spokeswoman said Wednesday.
The White House has also commissioned U.S. embassies to identify how foreign countries and chip-producing companies can help address global shortages and work with international partners and allies, and urged them to address the issue. ‘current deficit.
The effort includes spreading to Taiwan, home of key chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), to find ways to address the shortage.
In a letter dated February 17, Biden’s top economic adviser, Brian Deese, thanked Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua for working to help resolve the shortage in coordination with manufacturers. of the island.
Along with Deese, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is involved in the effort, as are other high-level aides.
This month, U.S. officials held a meeting with Wang in which the United States thanked Taiwan for help in resolving the automatic chip shortage, he said.
A White House spokeswoman said officials recognize that steps must be taken to prevent future shortages, which is why the administration is launching a comprehensive review of critical supply chains to identify vulnerabilities and take steps such as boosting an increase in American domestic production.
General Motors, on Feb. 9, said global chip shortages could weaken up to $ 2 billion from 2021 profits and extended production cuts to three U.S. plants. He also said he would partially build and finish assembling vehicles at two more factories due to the shortage of chips.
U.S. No. 2 automaker Ford Motor warned this month that chip shortages could lead to a 10% to 20% loss in first-quarter production, which could result in potential success in operating profits of between $ 1,000 and $ 2.5 billion. He had said he had lost some production from his best-selling F-150 pickup truck.
The shortage of car chips could affect nearly a million units of global light vehicle production during the first quarter, IHS data firm Markit said on Tuesday, adding that it still expects to recover most of the volume on remaining 2021.
In a January 19 letter to Deese, first published by Reuters, the United Auto Workers union and car trading groups called on the Biden administration to consider “urging major silicon wafer foundries to increase the production of quality automotive wafers “.
The shortage of chips has affected many other carmakers, including Toyota Motor, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Renault, Subaru, Nissan Motor, Honda Motor and Mazda Motor.