Global Chip Shortage Reached Its Peak Recently

The global chip shortage has severely impacted the tech industry on the whole. A new report on Bloomberg (via) now suggests that the waiting time for semiconductors grew to 21 weeks in August. This is a lead time rise of 6 days compared to July.

The information comes courtesy of research conducted by the Susquehanna Financial Group. At 21 weeks, this is reportedly the longest wait time for semiconductors since the group began tracking these metrics in 2017.

The global automotive industry could lose up to $110 billion in sales due to the chip shortage

The report further says that the wait times for analog and Broadcom chips have grown, while there are signs of recovery for power management chips and optoelectronic items.

Needless to say, the shortage is bringing up new obstacles for tech companies still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to global consulting firm AlixPartners, the chip delays could lead to losses of $110 billion for the automotive industry.

The chip industry shortage has led to the cancellation or delay of multiple smartphones and tablets. It is seemingly impacting companies like Samsung and OnePlus, as per a recent report.

We also learned that some American carrier outlets were particularly affected by the semiconductor shortage. This ordeal is having a knock-on effect on the prices of smartphones in general. Most future smartphone releases could see a price bump to offset the losses caused by the shortage.

Some reports indicate that this phenomenon could have spurred the cancelation of the Galaxy Note flagship. We recently uncovered documentation in South Korea indicating that the company may not have a Galaxy Note flagship in the future.

This is undoubtedly a significant step by the company and has drawn the ire of Galaxy Note fans. Such reactions are understandable as this is the first time since 2011 that Samsung hasn’t released a Note flagship.

The chip shortage has also hit Samsung’s phones currently in the pipeline, such as the Galaxy S21 FE. However, we now know that the phone is closer than ever to a launch, thanks to a recent revelation through its official support page.

Some analysts are optimistic that the semiconductor supply will be streamlined soon. On the other hand, some believe that this shortage could impact device launches well into 2022.