To what extent has the global chip shortage affected the supply chain? The Nikkei Asian Review wrote an analysis on March 28 that the semiconductor technology dispute between China and the United States has made the world more dependent on advanced chip manufacturing in Taiwan.

From the beginning of the article, a "secret" was revealed: On the morning of March 5, a private jet flew to Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, in the northwestern part of Taiwan Island. Coming out of the plane is HP CEO Enrique Lores (Enrique Lores).

After a series of epidemic prevention tests, he immediately met with a large number of executives of chip manufacturers in Taiwan, and urged them to speed up chip supply. Although the secret emergency visit lasted only a few hours, the anxiety caused by the shortage of chips was beyond words.

The article pointed out that this wave of global chip shortages is closely related to a series of "Huawei bans" during Trump's administration. An industry executive said that Huawei had previously purchased and stockpiled a large number of chips from TSMC "as much as possible" in order to reduce the negative impact of the ban that took effect in September last year.

The stockpiling of Huawei chips has exacerbated the global chip shortage. On September 25, after the new regulations prohibiting Huawei from using US technology and software came into effect, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce further issued a ban against "SMIC", making major semiconductor companies around the world aware of the situation. Seriousness.

The US's technical controls on Huawei and SMIC have made chip manufacturing more concentrated, disrupting the normal operation of the global semiconductor supply chain.

The shortage of chips is particularly destructive for automakers, because the electronic components that control the engine, transmission and other systems of the car require chips as technical support.

The chip shortage forced Ford Motor Company to announce a production cut of as much as 20% at the beginning of this year. General Motors said in early February that the production contraction could cost the company $2 billion in profits this year.

The governments of Japan, the United States and Germany are all using various means to force Taiwan to increase its chip production capacity.

The American Chamber of Commerce, the Semiconductor Industry Association and 15 other related organizations sent a letter to the Biden administration on February 18, urging it to act quickly.

Six days after the letter was sent, Biden signed an executive order aimed at solving the shortage problem. At that time, the photo of Biden's finger with the chip was widely reported and reprinted by major media. Biden also said that he will set up a special fund of 37 billion US dollars to strengthen US chip manufacturing capabilities.

Shortly before Biden signed the executive order, National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan had a telephone conversation with Geoffrey van Leeuwen, the Dutch Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs and Defense Adviser. Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a statement that the two officials "discussed the close cooperation between the two countries in advanced technology and cybersecurity." Obviously this meeting is related to the Dutch company ASML, which is the world's leading chip manufacturing lithography system manufacturer.

TSMC and ASML are the two most competitive players in the world semiconductor industry today. A senior executive of a Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer said: "Intel failed to take the reality seriously, and they have gradually lost their leading position in technology in the past few years."

The semiconductor technology dispute between China and the United States has made the world more dependent on advanced chip manufacturing in Taiwan.