When the U.S. Department of Commerce sent a Request for Information (RFI) out to a selection of private sector semiconductor manufacturers and users in September, it was hoping to gain new insights into the global semiconductor supply chain and the current challenges that are plaguing this critical network.
Based on the more than 150 responses it received—including input from nearly every major semiconductor producer and companies across multiple consuming industries—the department made an alarming discovery. In some cases, it seems, the median inventory of semiconductor products is now less than five days, down from 40 days in 2019. And, the number is even smaller within certain key industries.
