Due to the ongoing issue of chip shortages, many semiconductor based firms like TSMC had plans to expand their production capacity to meet the rising demand. But it seems that this plan might be pushed further back due to additional delays in securing the proper equipment for the expansion.
According to a NikkeiAsia report, the chip makers that are planning on expanding their production capacity will have to see an additional wait time that might be around a year and a half, or possibly even longer. This delay arrive due to the long delivery time of key equipment that is needed for the expansion. In other words, the plans to alleviate the semiconductor shortage are also suffering from supply constraints as well.
As of right now, the leading chip tool manufacturers like Applied Materials, KLA, Lam Research, and ASML have warned their customers that the wait time for certain crucial machines might be up to 18 months long. Furthermore, multiple sources have also told NikkeiAsia that the supply constraints have caused shortages in practically everything, ranging from lenses, valves, and pumps to microcontrollers, engineering plastics and even electronic modules as well.
This means that leading foundries like TSMC, Intel, Samsung, and others will see delays in their expansion plans. For those unaware, firms like TSMC already had planned to have plants go online as soon as next year. But now, sources believe that the long lead times might affect their original plans. Thus, executives at UMC, Samsung, and more have started sending senior executives overseas to urge equipment makers to raise their efforts for faster deliveries.
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