As semiconductor products enter a downward cycle, the automotive chip market is still developing against the market, and the supply of chips such as MCUs and power semiconductors continues to be in short supply.
The shortage of automotive chips has continued from the outbreak in 2022 to this year and has not been effectively alleviated. Recently, the CEO of Infineon, the relevant person in charge of Arm’s automotive department, and relevant persons in the supply chain all said that the shortage of automotive chips may continue until 2023.
Modern cars require a greater number of chips, and without a single semiconductor or component, car production cannot continue. These chips are also more expensive than ever. A severe shortage of auto-related chips is expected this year due to strong demand.
In terms of manufacturers, Texas Instruments’ shortage of automotive chips in December is still in short supply. For example, the price of serializer/deserializer chips used in automotive ADAS remains high; STMicroelectronics’ automotive-grade MCUs and F4 series MCUs are currently relatively in short supply, such as STM32F429ZET6 , SPC560B50L3B4E0X, etc.; NXP automotive and industrial products are still out of stock.
At present, the market for automotive electronics supporting functions such as electric vehicles, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), and in-car entertainment is growing faster than other sectors such as smartphones and data centers.
High growth in the auto industry has largely or partially offset declines in other businesses at a time of weakness in consumer electronics.
According to the latest financial report data released by automotive chip manufacturers such as Texas Instruments, Infineon, and Renesas, the company’s automotive business revenue growth has relatively good data, and all major manufacturers believe that the long-term growth trend within the car is very significant. Ability to enhance strong structural growth opportunities.
Although demand is still very strong, the shortage of automotive chips is an indisputable fact. Recently, due to the shortage of chips, the Japanese automaker Honda (Honda) announced in December 2022 that a factory in Japan will continue to reduce production in early January 2023, and the output will be reduced by 20%.
In the past year, global automobile production has been greatly reduced. According to industry data, global automobile products will reduce the production of 4.5 million new cars in 2022 due to the shortage of chips. It is estimated that the shortage of chips will still affect automobile production in 2023, and the production reduction is expected to reach 3 million vehicles.
Combined with the survey of US chip supplier Sourceengine, as of November 2022, the delivery time of power semiconductors has been extended from 31 to 51 weeks at the end of May to 39 to 64 weeks. Some in the industry say shortages of power semiconductors, which control current, and analog ICs, which manage power supplies, will remain in 2023. Some major automakers have also added that parts supply will not return to normal until 2024.
