GCRI · Comercio y recursos estratégicos
Semiconductores y componentes
Semiconductors are made through a long value chain of design, specialised materials, manufacturing equipment, fabrication and assembly, with several steps concentrated in a few firms and places. Shortages can stall vehicles, medical devices and infrastructure. This page sets out how the chip value chain is structured, where it concentrates, how disruptions propagate, and what evidence serves the governments and industries that depend on it.
Semiconductors and components in seven parts.
- 01La preguntaSemiconductors and components: how the risk develops
- 02En todos los dominiosChips sit inside the control systems of every domain
- 03IndicadoresQué se mide y con qué calidad
- 04FuentesDe dónde proviene la evidencia
- 05DecisionesQuién decide y a qué sirve la evidencia
- 06Cuestiones centralesWhat experts ask about semiconductor supply
- 07Mecanismos y factores impulsoresWhy the chain is fragile
Semiconductors and components: how the risk develops.
Electronics, advanced materials and fabrication inputs. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.
Each step is specialised
Design tools, wafers, speciality gases and chemicals, lithography equipment, fabrication and packaging are each dominated by few suppliers. A bottleneck at any step limits output.
Fabs take years and vast capital
Leading fabrication plants cost billions and take years to build. Capacity cannot be added quickly when demand changes or supply is disrupted.
Geography concentrates risk
Advanced fabrication and assembly cluster in a few regions exposed to earthquakes, drought, power outages and geopolitical tension.
Shortages hit downstream industries
Products need many chips, including mature, low-cost ones. A escasez of a single component can halt production lines far from where chips are made.
Supplier tier map.
La pantalla que utilizaría un equipo para seguir esta materia: sus mediciones, estados y decisiones. Los nombres son ejemplos y los valores son ilustrativos.
Supplier tier map
Semiconductors and components · Assembly cluster · Bill of materials BOM-059
Tier mapping
- Nivel 112 suppliers
- Nivel 247
- Nivel 383
- Raw materials5
Concentración
| Rare earth magnet | 70 | 4002 | None qualified | Alto |
| Gallium | 61 | 4836 | Recycling pilot | Alto |
| Copper wire | 40 | 1196 | Two qualified | Bajo |
| Lithium cells | 52 | 2554 | One qualified | Medio |
Mitigation
- Dual source
- qualification 11 months
- Buffer stock
- 9 weeks
- Design change
- substitution study
- Propietario
- Responsable de contratación
Chips sit inside the control systems of every domain.
- EnergíaAcoplamientoInverters, protection relays and meters depend on semiconductors.What to watchLead times for grid equipment
- SaludAcoplamientoMedical devices need specialised chips.What to watchDevice shortages linked to chips
- AguaAcoplamientoControl systems and sensors in utilities rely on components.What to watchSpare part availability
Component supply studies are designed for the serie Strategic Systems. The European Chips Act (2023) is one of several national and regional responses to concentration in fabrication; the page names no firm.
- Plazo de anticipación y escasez records for critical equipment.
- Studies of fabrication concentration with sources.
How semiconductors and components is modelled, measured and tested.
El modelo, sus supuestos, sus datos y su incertidumbre, en la forma en que un científico o un ingeniero los comprobaría. Las estructuras siguen métodos publicados. Los valores representados son ilustrativos, no hallazgos.
Modelo de sistema
The couplings between the systems in semiconductors and components: signs of influence, a reinforcing and a balancing loop, and cross-links where stress jumps.
Qué se mide y con qué calidad.
Cada indicador lleva su unidad, su periodicidad, el tipo de fuente que lo respalda y la etiqueta de evidencia que llevaría un valor. No se muestran valores: un programa los aporta bajo su propia autoridad.
| Indicador | Unidad | Cadencia | Tipo de fuente | Etiqueta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of fabrication capacity by region | percent of wafer capacity | anual | Industry analyses | ESTIMADO |
| Chip trade by product code | value of trade in integrated circuits | anual | Estadísticas comerciales | Estadísticas publicadas |
| Supplier concentration in key inputs | number of suppliers with significant share | por evaluación | Value chain studies | ESTIMADO |
| Plazo de anticipación for chip orders | semanas | mensual | Industry surveys | NOTIFICADO |
| Export control measures on semiconductors | recuento de medidas | por cambio | Government notices | Estadísticas publicadas |
| Fabs exposed to natural hazards | count by hazard zone | por evaluación | Site and hazard overlay | ESTIMADO |
De dónde procede la evidencia.
Conjuntos de datos públicos y registros institucionales identificados, cada uno con su tipo de licencia. Las fuentes obtenidas por acuerdo solo se utilizan conforme a sus condiciones y nunca se republican.
| Fuente | Lo que aporta | Tipo de licencia |
|---|---|---|
| UN Comtrade (HS headings 8541 and 8542) | Trade in semiconductor devices and integrated circuits | Free access with limits, UN terms |
| OECD studies of the semiconductor value chain | Structure, concentration and policy analysis | Public, OECD terms |
| WSTS public summaries | Industry sales by region and product category | Public summaries; full data members only |
| Government export control notices | Rules restricting trade in chips and equipment | Public records, licence per government |
| Academic and think-tank value chain mappings | Supplier shares at each step | Licence per publication (to check) |
Quién decide y a qué sirve la evidencia.
Trade and Strategic Resources prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.
| Quién decide | La pregunta | Evidencia a la que sirve esta página |
|---|---|---|
| Ministries of industry and technology | Which value chain steps to support domestically or with partners | Value chain maps; concentration evidence |
| Critical sector operators | Which components to stockpile or qualify from second sources | Downstream dependency analyses |
| Trade and security authorities | How export controls affect domestic supply | Export control evidence; trade data |
Productos que genera este tema
- Value chain maps showing concentration at each step
- Hazard exposure overlays for fabrication sites
- Downstream dependency analyses for critical sectors
- Evidence notes on export control changes
What experts ask about semiconductor supply.
- At which stages of the chain is capability concentrated in few firms or locations?
- Which specialised inputs, such as high-purity gases, chemicals and wafers, are single-sourced?
- How long would it take to replace lost fabrication capacity?
- Which downstream sectors are most exposed to shortages of mature or advanced chips?
- How do export controls and industrial policies change the structure of the chain?
Why the chain is fragile.
Semiconductor manufacturing requires extreme precision, very large capital investment and accumulated know-how. Leading-edge fabrication plants take years to build and need specialised equipment from a handful of suppliers. These barriers favour concentration: each stage tends to have few capable players, and the stages are spread across different regions.
Shortages propagate widely because chips are embedded in so many products. Even inexpensive, mature-node chips can halt the production of much more valuable goods when they are missing. Long lead times and the difficulty of switching suppliers, since chips must be qualified for each product, slow recovery.
Other components share similar features: specialised capacitors, displays, sensors and advanced materials often depend on few producers and on inputs such as rare gases or high-purity minerals.
Los métodos y sus límites.
- 01
Supply chain mapping
Tracing firms and locations at each production stage. Commercial confidentiality limits visibility beyond the first tiers.
- 02
Análisis de redes
Identifying central nodes and single points of failure using ciencia de redes. Firm-level links are often incomplete.
- 03
Materials and process research
Understanding critical inputs and alternatives using materials science and chemistry.
- 04
Análisis insumo-producto
Estimating sector exposure to component shortages. Tables are aggregated and published with delay.
The industry changes quickly, and analyses state the date and sources of the information used.
Cómo se estudia y lo que los métodos no pueden decir.
- 01Ciencia de redes y contagioCentralidad de la red comercial · Mapeo de dependencias en varios niveles · Propagación de las disrupcionesAplicado aquí
- 02Ciencia de los materiales y químicaAnálisis de rutas de procesamiento · Potencial de reciclaje · Opciones de sustituciónAplicado aquí
- 03EconometríaTransmisión de precios · Efectos de las medidas comerciales · Impactos de las disrupciones en la producciónAplicado aquí
- 04Sistemas de información geoespacialSuperposición de amenazas en instalaciones · Deforestación en las regiones de abastecimiento · Mapeo de corredoresAplicado aquí
Where this page’s references lead.
Los organismos y documentos con los que se lee esta página. El estado y las ediciones cambian; cada enlace lleva al organismo emisor.
Preguntas y respuestas.
Why are semiconductor supply chains fragile?
What is a fab?
Do mature chips matter?
Does the platform assess individual chip makers?
Are export controls analysed?
Why do mature chips matter?
Aporte evidencia desde esta página.
serie Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
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Documentos jurídicos.
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