New Global-Chip Supply Concerns - 股票

原文標題：Human Error and Shaky Grid Spark New Global-Chip Supply Concerns
原文連結：https://reurl.cc/kVmrWq
發布時間：Fri, May 14, 2021, 4:15 PM
原文內容：

(Bloomberg) -- Human error and worst-case scenarios triggered a widespread
power outage in Taiwan, rocking its reliability as a top supplier of computer
chips as the industry grapples with a global shortage.

A dual coal- and gas-fired power plant in the southern city of Kaohsiung went
offline Thursday after a technician accidentally flipped the wrong switch,
resulting in a sudden drop in voltage that caused the plant to shut down as a
protective measure, state-run utility Taiwan Power Co. said in a statement
Friday.

The failure came at precisely the wrong time, overloading an electricity grid
already stretched by rising temperatures, a water shortage, volatile solar
output and higher-than-expected power consumption, and snowballed into a
blackout that hit Taiwan’s major cities, including Taipei. The outage
temporarily affected more than 4 million households and nearly half of Taiwan
’s industrial parks before power was restored Thursday night.

The fragility of the power grid has now become a global issue. Taiwan is home
to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract
chipmaker, and a few hours without electricity is enough to disrupt global
supply chains.

A worldwide shortage of high-end semiconductors has heightened concerns,
triggering a scramble among major companies, from consumer electronics brands
to automakers, to secure scarce supplies of chips from TSMC and its domestic
peers. The blackout may also heighten scrutiny of the government’s effort to
rid Taiwan of nuclear and coal, which opponents see as reliable sources of
power.

If a semiconductor fabrication plant “is suddenly halted by a power outage,
can lose what is equivalent to about one month of output,” said Bloomberg
Intelligence analyst Charles Shum. “It’s not just the wafers in fabrication
that have to be abandoned, all machines have to put in idle for maintenance
and re-calibration.”

TSMC, the world’s top foundry, experienced a brief power dip at some
facilities, but the supply is currently back to normal, the company said in
an emailed statement. There was no major impact on its operations, a
spokeswoman said. ASE Technology Holding Co., the world’s largest chip
packaging provider, said Thursday that its operations were affected and the
full impact has yet to be determined.

Analysts see little likelihood of TSMC being affected by similar shortages in
the future, even as it consumes more electricity due to new power-hungry
extreme ultraviolet lithography chip-making technology, as the government is
likely to prioritize its resource needs over other users.

“It is also going to be challenging for TSMC’s customers to diversify their
orders as right now most chipmakers are running at full capacity,” said Elsa
Cheng, an analyst at GF Securities. “Further, TSMC offers superior yield
rate compared to its rivals, a critical element that will ensure its
customers can launch their products on time.”

In a statement apologizing for the incident, Taipower said that electricity
consumption exceeded the company’s initial estimates due to high
temperatures and strong economic activity. The incident occurred in the
afternoon, when solar output was falling, while a water shortage meant that
hydropower generation was weak, according to Taipower. Power consumption has
steadily climbed since the start of May, the utility said, promising to
review its operations.

“Blackouts and reliability problems could become worse in Taiwan,” said
Alex Whitworth, head of Asia-Pacific power and renewables research at Wood
Mackenzie Ltd. The share of intermittent wind and solar power is expected to
continue growing, which could put much more stress on the power system, he
said.

Four years ago, a blackout caused by a blunder at Taiwan’s biggest gas-fired
plant affected six million households and disrupted some semiconductor
production.

心得/評論：

5/13 停電後的新聞，今天又停一次
再多來個幾次外媒的關注一定會越來越多

台灣停個電
全世界晶片短缺的產業都要漏尿了

台灣又讓世界看見了
讚讚

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