Intel, Apple, carmakers to attend White House meeting on chip shortage

Reuters

Published Sep 22, 2021 21:27

Updated Sep 23, 2021 02:30

By Alexandra Alper, Stephen Nellis and David Shepardson

(Reuters) - Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger plans to attend a virtual White House meeting on the global chip shortage on Thursday, along with representatives from companies including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Samsung Electronics (KS:005930), GM, Ford and Stellantis, people familiar with the matter said.

The meeting will be hosted by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, the Commerce Department said earlier this month. Topics will include the impact of the coronavirus Delta variant on chip supplies and how to better coordinate between chip producers and consumers.

Other attendees will include TSMC, BMW and Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU), sources said.

The White House had said only that attendees would include producers, consumers and industry groups. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A shortage of semiconductor chips has forced top automakers to cut production worldwide after a decrease in demand for cars early in the coronavirus pandemic led many chipmakers to shift production to computers and tablets, whose demand was soaring.

The White House meeting is the latest in a string of summits on the topic, allowing the Biden administration to show it is taking the chip crunch seriously.