Shortages of computer chips are currently causing major production problems worldwide. Many car manufacturers are also affected here in Europe. Audi CEO Markus Duesmann rings the bell.
In the US, Asia and Europe, more and more car factories are getting into trouble due to insufficient supply of computer chips. Here in Europe, Germany in particular is hit hard as a result, including the production of Audi. Last month it appeared that the brand was therefore forced to send more than 10,000 employees on leave. Although the Taiwanese TSMC responded to the shortages, a major problem has been uncovered, according to Audi CEO Markus Duesmann. Europe is far too dependent on companies far from here.
The CEO argues according to Reuters therefore for investments from the EU to house such production more on our own continent. “We would like to have chip manufacturers here operating at least at the level of those in Asia and the United States,” said Duesmann. According to him, an investment in such production could be classified under the same model as investment in European battery production. That is now also far from the level of mainly Asian countries, but that is about to change.
According to Reuters there is good news: European countries have already pledged € 50 billion to invest in the local production of technological hardware. This would also include the semiconductors that are currently in short supply. That is probably also good news for the Dutch ASML, as a machine supplier to chip makers.