As most of you probably know, we are in the midst of a semiconductor shortage due to a number of factors, only some of which relate to the worldwide epidemic.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/01/semiconductor-shortage-halts-auto-factories/In this article it says that:
Car manufacturers began using electronics to control automobiles in the 1970s, replacing older mechanical controls. Gradually, the number of tiny chips known as microcontrollers increased inside cars, powering a wide array of functions, from lights to engine cooling systems.
The 38 microcontrollers in an Audi Q7 come from eight companies, highlighting the complexity of auto supply chains, according to research firm IHS Markit.
Yet because TSMC manufactures nearly three-quarters of all auto microcontrollers, any capacity crunch at the company has ripple effects through the entire auto industry.
Cars are now awesomely complex machines. That there are 38 microcontrollers is not surprising, and the article doesn't say how many of these are the same or difference microcontrollers, only that eight companies provide the microcontrollers necessary to complete an Audi Q7. Furthermore, in the USA auto assembly plants are idle because the silicon is not available to complete the cars.
I guess the question is: do we really need so many specialized parts from so many manufacturers? Of course, this was easier when there were fewer choices available, for example the 8051 was the workhorse of the 1980s. I am not suggesting that we all return to using the 8051 as the lowest common denominator. But aren't microcontrollers supposed to be more general purpose devices with lots of peripherals so that they can be customized for different applications? There doesn't seem to be any attention paid to engineering for resilience or longevity. Perhaps that is because the consumer market can or will not bear those costs.
Like for example, consider a boost converter like the MT3608. There are many similar devices with the same pinout such as HM1549. XR3403, etc. This would suggest that a design with a MT3608 could be robustly supported with substitutes. I realize that the requirements for the automotive industry are much more stringent than a consumer-level Chinese generic boost converter. But is every boost converter really so different that there can't be a few generic types that are commonly used? Just at Texas Instruments alone they list 185 boost converter ICs with integrated switches!
https://www.ti.com/power-management/non-isolated-dc-dc-switching-regulators/step-up-boost/boost-converters-integrated-switch/products.htmlIt may be a bit unfair to target TI as they also have many legacy products from National Semiconductor and others, and I think it is great that they support so many products. And yes, power efficiency requirements keep increasing, boost converters have to adapt to new kinds of battery chemistries, etc. Still, if the one of the 185 boost converters TI sells is out of stock, and one didn't anticipate and stockpile, you could be SOL.
I don't have an answer for this but I think part of it could be fewer generic, configurable components that have, if possible, generic manufacturers. There used to be 74 TTL/CMOS chips, Z80 processors, op amps like the LM741/NE5532, power regulators such as the LM78xx, LM79xx, TL494, UC384x, standard transistors like the 2N2222, 2N3904, 2N5551, 2N7000, TIP41, TIP42, etc. If you used these parts you can find many sources. Now everyone has their own walled garden of proprietary components. It looks like it is only worth the Chinese semiconductor companies time to make compatible components (assuming they are sufficiently compatible) because they don't have to research new designs.
This problem has been ongoing for quite a while. Perhaps these manufacturers can get together and realize it is in no one's interest if demand falls because factories are idle waiting for parts.