The semiconductor industry is an important engine for global technological innovation and economic development, and its products are widely used in fields such as computers, smartphones, automobiles, industrial control, and communication equipment. In recent years, with the rapid development of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and 5G communication, the demand for semiconductors has continued to increase. However, since 2020, the global semiconductor supply chain tension has gradually become a bottleneck restricting the development of various industries.

With the rapid development of fields such as 5G, IoT, and new energy vehicles, the demand for semiconductors has sharply increased. Especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, the popularity of remote office and online education further promoted the explosive growth of demand for electronic products, which led to the overload of the semiconductor supply chain.

Semiconductor production requires high-precision and high-tech manufacturing equipment and processes, and the world's major semiconductor manufacturing capabilities are concentrated in the hands of a few large manufacturers. In recent years, despite the continuous expansion of production capacity by major manufacturers, it has been difficult to meet the rapidly growing market demand in the short term.

The COVID-19 has hindered the global logistics and transportation, and the semiconductor production and transportation links have been affected to varying degrees. In addition, geopolitical factors, natural disasters, and other factors have also had an impact on the stability of the supply chain. For example, the snowstorm in Texas and the earthquake in Japan at the beginning of 2021 caused multiple semiconductor factories to shut down, further exacerbating supply shortages.

The design and manufacturing process of semiconductor chips is complex, involving numerous links from design, wafer manufacturing, packaging and testing to final products. Any delay in any link can affect the operation of the entire supply chain. Especially for the production of high-end chips, it requires extremely high technological level and long-term research and development investment.

The shortage of chips has intensified market competition, with companies vying for limited supply resources. Some large companies, relying on their market position and financial advantages, can obtain more supply, while small and medium-sized enterprises face greater survival pressure.

To cope with the tight supply chain, enterprises have to increase their investment in chip design and manufacturing technology to improve self-sufficiency and technological level. Although this contributes to long-term development, it will increase the cost pressure on the enterprise in the short term.