Microchips are the invisible brain of every modern technology: smartphones, computers, cars, artificial intelligence — none would exist without those tiny silicon dies on which increasingly complex integrated circuits are built. This is precisely why their shortage has systemic effects.
The article reconstructs the semiconductor crisis since the start of the pandemic: the disruptions in the global supply chain, the compounding causes and the cascading consequences on chip-dependent sectors, from automotive to consumer electronics. A focus explaining why such a small component became a first-order strategic and economic issue. In the full PDF: how a microchip works and an analysis of the supply-chain criticalities.
Originally published in Il Giornale dell'Ingegnere (CNI), 1 November 2021.
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