CNBC’s reporting on the global chip shortage sheds light on one of the tech industry’s biggest blind spots: how much of modern life depends on tiny components most of us never think about. Phones, cars, medical devices, appliances – everything has a chip, and suddenly none of them are easy to get. It’s like discovering the world runs on a secret ingredient and someone misplaced the recipe.
The shortage exposed how fragile supply chains can be when demand spikes, factories stumble, or geopolitical tensions rise. Businesses that treated hardware planning as an afterthought are now learning the cost – delays, reduced inventory, and frustrated customers asking why everything is “coming soon.”
This is a wake-up call for leaders who believe infrastructure is someone else’s problem. Resilience isn’t built during a crisis; it’s built long before it. Companies that rethink supply strategies now will be positioned far better for whatever comes next.
How many industries will reconsider just-in-time manufacturing after this? And should we treat semiconductors as critical infrastructure instead of consumer commodities?
Related article: CNBC
