[이코노믹리뷰=최진홍 기자] The scarcity of automotive semiconductors is getting serious. While the scarcity of automotive semiconductors is expected to continue until at least 3Q, there are claims that the domestic semiconductor industry needs a’speed battle’. In that extension, there is an atmosphere that pays attention to Samsung Electronics’ actions.
GM’s Bupyeong plant also affected… the finished car plant’shutdown’
General Motors (GM), an American automaker, is either shutting down the operation of four global plants, including the Bupyeong plant in Korea, or starting to reduce production. According to Reuters on the 3rd (local time), GM plans to shut down its plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while cutting the utilization rate at its Bupyeong plant in Korea by half.
Chevrolet Malibu sedans and Cadillac XT4 SUVs are likely to be affected by production cuts. For the time being, there seems to be a willingness to go into mass production mainly for profitable vehicles such as sports cars and pickup trucks.
It’s not just GM that goes into a factory shutdown. FiatChrysler has shut down its factories in Canada and Mexico, and Ford, Toyota, and Honda are also temporarily shutting down their factories due to lack of automotive semiconductors.
The reason automakers are lowering the utilization rate of automobile factories is the lack of automotive semiconductors. In fact, at the end of last year, consumer sentiment aggravated by Corona 19 was somewhat relieved and car sales increased, but the global semiconductor industry focused on Ontact, the beneficiary of Corona 19, and relatively failed to produce automotive semiconductors.
In line with the on-tact trend, the semiconductor industry’s production of consumer electronics products was concentrated, which means that the demand for automobile semiconductors, which grew belatedly, has become scarce. At the moment, GM Korea said, “The GM Korea purchasing organization is working closely with the current parts makers to find plans for the supply and demand of semiconductors by the parts makers and to minimize the impact on GM and GM Korea.” Because of the liquidity, the operation of the plant will be checked every week and the production plan will be confirmed and operated.”
Recently, the American Automobile Policy Committee (AAPC) urged the US Department of Commerce and the Biden administration to increase the supply of semiconductors for vehicles. AAPC Chairman Matt Blunt said, “If this is the case, the third quarter is also dangerous,” and argued that “the government should solve the supply of automotive semiconductors as a top priority policy task.”
I cannot solve the problem for the time being
The shortage of automotive semiconductors is a sign that will continue for the time being. In the third quarter, in the worst case, it is predicted that automakers that cannot obtain automotive semiconductors by the fourth quarter will only start making efforts.
It is not possible to increase the quantity of semiconductors for vehicles right away. This is because, unlike consumer electronics semiconductors, automotive semiconductors are manufactured in a customized production method, and therefore, they need to be designed according to each finished vehicle factory lineup. In this situation, as the era of the Biden US Trump administration begins, interest in eco-friendly energy increases, while the growth of the future vehicle market such as electric vehicles is expected to intensify the scarcity of semiconductors for vehicles.
The core of future vehicles such as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and DCU (Automotive Integrated Control System) are filled with automotive semiconductors, and unlike internal combustion locomotives that have a relatively low vehicle semiconductor ratio, future vehicles require up to 2000 vehicle semiconductors per vehicle. To While the transition from internal combustion locomotives to electric vehicles and other future vehicles is expected to accelerate, the scarcity of semiconductors for vehicles is expected to worsen.
In the midst of the worsening situation, automakers in each country are actively sending love calls to the semiconductor industry and taking steps before securing supplies. GM recently sent an appeal to the Taiwanese government to receive emergency vehicle semiconductors from TSMC, and many other automakers are sending SOS.
Foundry and automotive semiconductor companies such as TSMC and NXP are also showing signs of price hikes. While NXP of the US has already announced the increase in the price of automotive semiconductors in a letter, there are reports that the foundry’s TSMC is also planning a price increase of up to 15%.
Samsung Electronics’ decision?
The scarcity of automotive semiconductors is a risk for the finished vehicle industry, but it can be a new opportunity for the semiconductor industry.
However, it is evaluated that domestic vehicle semiconductor capabilities are somewhat insufficient. According to an industry trend report titled “Automotive semiconductors need to create opportunities through selection and concentration” released by the Korea Automobile Research Institute on the 1st, the global automotive semiconductor market is expected to grow from $41.8 billion in 2019 to $65.5 billion in 2024. He pointed out that it has only advanced to part of TCU. This means that the automotive semiconductor market is growing, but the benefits are limited.
This is why attention is focused on Samsung Electronics’ decision.
Samsung Electronics was expected to be unable to make large-scale investments for the time being after Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested, but in a conference call to announce its earnings in the fourth quarter of last year, it unveiled its investment strategy based on an unusually large-scale mergers and acquisitions.
Although the outlook is strong that mergers and acquisitions in the foundry sector are strong, there is also an atmosphere for large-scale investment in the automotive semiconductor market. Germany’s Infineon, Netherlands NXP, Japan’s Renesas, and US TI are showing off their prosperity in the automotive semiconductor market, but there are no players who can completely take over the market, and Samsung Electronics is evaluating that’one shot’ is possible.
Although Samsung Electronics is a latecomer in the automotive semiconductor market, it has shown a strong presence by launching the Exynos Auto 8890, an automotive AP, using the foundry infrastructure and mounting it on the Audi A4 model. Samsung Electronics’ Exynos Auto 8890 is installed in the 3rd generation MIB (Modular Infotainment Platform), a next-generation infotainment system applied to Audi vehicles, and acts as a main processor that manages various information of the vehicle.
The scene of aiming the entire electronics business centered on the acquisition of Harman also attracts attention. Based on this, it is said that Samsung Electronics can fully target the automotive semiconductor market.