Silicon: Growing chip shortage hits more industries

President Biden met with about 20 top industry executives this week to discuss the worsening chip crisis, said Hyunjoo Jin and Stephen Nellis in Reuters.com. A worldwide shortage has “crippled production at most automakers” and is spreading to computers, routers, and cameras. Biden “proposed $50 billion to support chip manufacturing and research” as part of his $2 trillion infrastructure package. However, addressing the broader supply chain is crucial. It currently can take “more than 1,000 steps, 70 separate border crossings, and a host of specialized companies” to produce a single microchip.