News
Two of America's largest car brands, Ford and General Motors are said to have outlined plans of entering the semi-conductor business in order to help deal with the chip shortage plaguing the auto industry.
According to media reports, Ford has inked a strategic partnership with Global Foundries to help speed up the manufacturing of semiconductors in the US. The carmaker is said to have signed a non-binding agreement with Global Foundries which will allow the chip manufacturer to improve production and supply of semiconductors for Ford's current vehicle lineup. The two companies will also create a joint R&D to address the growing demand in the automotive industry.
General Motors, on the other hand, is also working with close to seven semiconductor manufacturers to ensure a consistent supply of chips. These include Qualcomm, ST Microelectronics, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Renesas Electronics, ON Semiconductor Corp, NXP Semiconductors & Infineon Technologies.
The semiconductor shortage has plagued the automotive industry for over a year. It has affected the vehicle production and supply chain of multiple carmakers around the world. Semiconductor chips in vehicles are used to power features and tech including ADAS, in-vehicle networking, battery management systems and many others.
Source: Autocar Professional