Toshiba Corp. said it won’t be able to meet demand for power-regulating chips for another year and, in certain cases, through the end of 2022, offering a fresh warning for makers of cars, consumer electronics and industrial machines struggling with component shortages.
"The supply of chips will remain very tight until at least September next year,” said Takeshi Kamebuchi, a director in charge of semiconductors at one of the company’s units. "In some cases, we may find some customers not being fully served until 2023.”
Material shortages and demand outpacing output capacity are to blame for Toshiba’s inability to fulfill orders for a component that doesn’t require advanced production technology and has typically been deemed a commodity, Kamebuchi said. Mature tech such as Toshiba’s power chips is cheaper than cutting-edge memory and sensors but no less important for any electronic device. If the processor is the device’s brain, power-regulating silicon and circuitry serve as the heart and vascular system, helping to smoothly transmit electricity.