Global chip shortage expected to last until first half of 2023, says STMicro's CEO

TSMC wafers on top of one another — (Image credit: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd)

The current global chip shortage has put the PC component market on edge. We've seen price hikes and panic aplenty across the industry; reports have even surfaced of people smuggling silicon across borders by strapping CPUs to their bodies. And it doesn't look like the pressure will be lifting any time soon, with STMicro's CEO now chiming in with his 2023 prediction.

Seemingly aligned with the forecast from Intel, IBM and TSMC—who placed the culmination of the chip crisis somewhere toward late 2022/early 2023—President and CEO of European chip maker, STMicroelectronics, Jean-Marc Chery, is confident things will return to normal, but "not before the first half of 2023."

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In the interview Chery addresses the severity of the situation, noting that "It's not like in the past, when everyone was waiting for Microsoft to release a new operating system that would drive demand for many more computers." He explains, "What we have is global shift."

As gamers and PC builders, we're all too aware of the difficulties in purchasing components right now. Thankfully, it would appear semiconductor manufacturers are at least in alignment as to when the shortage will fully subside. Whether this will really be the case? It's hard to say.

The market is, as we've discovered, pretty fragile.

Having been obsessed with game mechanics, computers and graphics for three decades, Katie took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni and has been writing about digital games, tabletop games and gaming technology for over five years since. She can be found facilitating board game design workshops and optimising everything in her path.