While Qualcomm is still confident that it will be able to meet its sales target for the second quarter, a manufacturer contracted for several major smartphone companies told Reuters it would cut smartphone shipments because it was experiencing a ‘shortage of a number of components. ‘from the chipmaker.
Xiaomi vice president Lu Weibing had previously warned that the chip shortage was extreme.
Qualcomm’s new chief executive, Cristiano Amon, said recently that demand is greater than supply. This may be partly due to the restrictions imposed on Huawei by the U.S., which has prompted consumers to turn to other Android companies that typically use Qualcomm chips. Huawei phones are powered primarily by its own Kirin silicon.
The semiconductor industry is fully integrated and even a seemingly minor shortage can lead to increased delivery times. The scarcity is also causing a panic in purchases and driving up costs. For example. a microcontroller unit chip from STMicroelectronics, which used to cost $ 2, now sells for $ 14.