Semiconductor shortage paralyzes German industry: the most sought

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Audi e-tron in the light tunnel

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AUDI AG

Next week, the delivery of a very rare and sought-after product is supposed to go out again: the Playstation 5. The Sony game console has been out of stock for weeks;

The rumor that it was available again spread quickly in the online player forums - as was the disillusionment: Presumably, only customers who have long pre-ordered are served.

Digital cameras and smartphones are also in short supply right now.

The new iPhone 12 came onto the market a few weeks late, in smaller numbers.

The unfamiliar bottlenecks also have to do with the pandemic.

People around the world spend more time on the couch or at their desks at home.

That is why the demand for televisions, cell phones, game consoles and notebooks is skyrocketing.

But that's only part of the explanation - and even the smaller one.

The main reason is a particular defect.

A central resource for electronics in the 21st century is becoming scarce: silicon chips and their preliminary products.

Small components, some only the size of a fingernail, which are built into more and more devices.

The exploding demand for so-called semiconductors, which are in chips or sensors, not only caused some consumer frustration, but also tangible economic upheavals.

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