Communications of the ACM
A Tiny Part's Big Ripple: Global Chip Shortage Hobbles the Auto Industry
A shortage of semiconductors has upended automaking.
Credit: Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
Around the world, auto assembly lines are going quiet, workers are idle and dealership parking lots are looking bare.
A shortage of semiconductors, the tiny but critical chips used to calibrate cars' fuel injection, run infotainment systems or provide the brains for cruise control, has upended automaking.
A General Motors plant in Kansas City closed in February for lack of chips, and still hasn't reopened. Mercedes-Benz has begun to hoard its chips for expensive models and is temporarily shutting down factories that produce lower-priced C-Class sedans. Porsche warned dealers in the United States this month that customers might have to wait an extra 12 weeks to get their cars, because they lack a chip used to monitor tire pressure.
From The New York Times
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