AI Data Center Demand Drives Power Semiconductor Shortage to Last at Least Two Years
Nashnova编辑部
Cloud AI data-center buildouts are driving power semiconductors into a shortage lasting at least two years, with supply-chain firms calling it worse than the pandemic — and chip price hikes are not stopping at one round.
What exactly is in short supply, and for how long?
Power semiconductors — components that convert voltage into usable current for chips — and analog ICs will remain tight for years.
One analog-chip supplier says customer demand points to a doubling over the coming years; even as peers ramp 12-inch capacity, supply growth still trails demand.
This means → the shortage will not ease before 2027 at the earliest; whether demand shifts again by 2029–2030 remains an open question.
Why is this worse than the pandemic shortage?
Multiple firms compare today's crunch to 2020–2021 and conclude this round of hoarding is more intense.
A Taiwanese power-management chip maker says the scramble for parts exceeds the pandemic peak.
In plain terms = the pandemic shortage was mainly a supply-side disruption — factories shut down while end demand was uncertain. This time demand itself is both massive and sustained, a fundamentally different problem.
Can 12-inch expansion solve it?
AI-linked capacity expansion is concentrated on 12-inch fabs; Western IDMs and mature-node foundries have essentially no plans to add 8-inch capacity.
This means → analog-chip applications outside cloud AI — automotive, industrial, consumer electronics — face a shortage that could be even deeper and longer-lasting.
In plain terms = every new fab line is being built for AI; other sectors are pushed further back in the queue.
How do power grids and efficiency add another layer of demand?
Several U.S. local governments have slowed or paused approvals for new AI data centers, citing excessive power consumption.
Chip makers argue this proves power semiconductors must ramp faster — whether for emergency grid expansion or for efficiency upgrades inside data centers, these chips are indispensable.
This reflects a self-reinforcing loop: more AI power draw → more grid buildout → more power-chip demand → harder to ease the shortage.
How far will prices rise?
Suppliers say chip price increases will not stop at one or two rounds.
Unless consumer-end demand freezes entirely, power-management chip makers will face fierce competition for components for years.
This means → whether capacity expansion can catch the demand curve is the single variable that determines how long this shortage lasts and how high prices go.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.