Qualcomm says chip shortage affecting phones, might last until late 2021
- Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon confirmed an industry-wide chip shortage affects phones as well.
- He added that the shortage is expected to continue until the end of 2021.
The tech industry has been hit by a semiconductor shortage in recent months as an increase in demand for various products has resulted in a shortage of increasingly important silicon. Now Qualcomm has confirmed that smartphones are also affected by the situation.
Qualcomm President and new CEO Cristiano Amon said CNET that the semiconductor shortage “affects everything and of course affects phones” He added that the shortage could continue until the end of 2021.
According to the executive, a fall in demand during the pandemic followed by a sharp surge soon after was a major cause of the deficit.
Amon also suggested that the smartphone makers put more pressure on Qualcomm as Huawei’s US-induced decline presents an opportunity for rivals. Unfortunately, the supply chain is not prepared for this increased demand for components, he said.
There is no word from Amon as to which smartphone segment is suffering the most from the semiconductor shortage, but it is clear that phones with state-of-the-art 5nm processors like the Snapdragon 888 are likely to be affected. We have asked Qualcomm for a comment on the affected smartphone segments and will update the article if you get back to us.
