Global Semiconductor Shortage: How, Why and What the U.S. Can Do About It

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 24 August 2021

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Toyota will produce about 140,000 fewer cars and trucks next month, a 40 percent cut to its September production, as a result of the lack of microchips necessary for its electric vehicles. It’s just one of many recent effects from the global semiconductor shortage, which is slowing the delivery of cars, computers, medical technologies and many other products. This crisis in the semiconductor supply chain has widespread impacts on the global economy, as well as on our economy here in the U.S. We’ll analyze why this is such a major problem, what it means for Bay Area companies and what the U.S. could do to once again become a leader in semiconductor production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:33.6	...
0:36.6	... Welcome to Forum.
0:45.3	Most of the time, even tech people don't tend to worry about semiconductor production.
0:51.3	After all, these basic components of electronic systems are supposed to
0:55.2	remain out of sight and out of mind. But the world is in the midst of a major semiconductor
1:00.0	shortage that's affecting products from automobiles and aluminum to tractors and Xboxes. As it turns out,
1:06.4	there are computers and everything, which means that the semiconductor supply chain is part of the supply
1:11.2	chain for nearly everything.
1:13.6	Semiconductors are what put the Silicon in Silicon Valley, so we're going to take stock
1:17.3	of why we're in a crisis now, which Bay Area companies are being affected, and how changes
	...

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