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Chipmakers Can’t Find Qualified Workers to Build the Tech the Entire World Needs

The chip nightmare seems to continue these days, and unfortunately, the industry keeps getting worrying signals that the struggle wouldn’t come to an end too soon.
Carmakers are hit hard by the lack of chips 6 photos
Photo: GM
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As if the floods, the government restrictions, and the global health issue weren’t enough, chipmakers across the world are now struggling with another problem: a shortage of qualified workers to fill in key positions in their companies.

A recent report from the WSJ highlights a problem that more and more companies involved in the chip-making business are now trying to solve. Unfortunately, college-educated engineers are almost nowhere to be found, and skilled technicians and researchers supposed to support the recovery and develop new tech are becoming a rare breed.

Chipmakers are investing big in new facilities and production lines. Intel, for example, plans to spend no less than $100 billion on new production facilities in both the United States and Europe, and several other companies, such as TSMC and Samsung, are already working on massive plans that would allow them to boost their capacity.

But building new chip-making plants isn’t by any means a guarantee of expanded capacity. This is because all these companies can’t find qualified workers to fill in key positions.

The cited source estimates the U.S. industry alone would require no less than 90,000 workers by 2025 to make sure all the investments in increased production aren’t just a waste of time.

Taiwanese companies are struggling with the same problem, and more and more companies hope governments would step in and help with bigger investments in education and programs to attract skilled workers.

Many choose to leave for software or other industry sectors because of obvious reasons, and this isn’t by any means good news for the future of the chip-making business. For now, the challenge just seems to continue, not only for companies across the world but also for the chipmakers themselves.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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