TSMC Says Demand for Smartphones, Consumer Electronics is Slowing

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the company that manufacturers chips for Apple, says demand for smartphones and consumer electronics is slowing, reports Nikkei.

On Wednesday, TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said that signs of slowing consumer electronics demand can be seen amid geopolitical uncertainties and COVID-related lockdowns in China.

The slowdown is emerging in areas "such as smartphones, PCs, and TVs, especially in China, the biggest consumer market," Liu said. He also warned that the cost of components and materials are rising sharply, pushing up production costs. Such pressure could eventually be passed on to consumers.


"Everyone in the industry is worried about rising costs across the overall supply chain... The semiconductor industry already and directly experienced that cost increase," Liu said.

Despite this, TSMC says it's unlikely to change growth targets or capital expenditures. The company is still not able to meet demand for its services and is able to pivot to areas with stronger demand.

"Despite the slowdown in some areas, we still see robust demand in automotive applications and high-performance computing as well as internet of things-related devices," he said. "We still cannot meet our customers' demand with our current capacity. We will reorganize and prioritize orders for those areas that still see healthy demand."

Notably, recent reports have suggested that Apple has reduced orders for its just announced iPhone SE 3 by up to three million units.


More details in the full report linked below...

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