How Hurricane Helene Could Disrupt Global Semiconductor Supply Chain, And Potentially Drive Inflation Higher
How Hurricane Helene Could Disrupt Global Semiconductor Supply Chain, And Potentially Drive Inflation Higher
Hurricane Helene landed in the southeastern United States on Thursday, causing deadly floods and billions of dollars worth of damage. The storm, which hit North Carolina particularly hard, also has the potential to disrupt the $500 billion semiconductor industry, which could cause inflation to spike higher.
What Does Helene Have To Do With Semiconductors? Spruce Pine, a mining town in North Carolina, has some of the purest quartz on Earth, according to the Verge. The town's quartz is essential for semiconductor manufacturers, as it's used to produce silicon wafers, a critical component for semiconductors and chips.
Footage shared to social media sites like X shows roads completely underwater in areas surrounding Spruce Pine, although the exact damage done to the town's mining operations is unclear. A spokesperson from The Quartz Corp, one of the town's mining companies, told the Verge that it's too early to comment on the storm's impact on the company's operations.
Read Also: Hurricane Helene Devastates Southeastern U.S., Slamming Infrastructure And Leaving Millions Powerless
So, this wouldn't be the first time a natural disaster has impacted Spruce Pine's mining operations. In 2008, a fire impeded the miner's ability to produce the town's high-purity quartz, sending "shivers" through the industry, according to Wired. But today, 16 years after the fire, semiconductors are much more pertinent to the global economy, with everything from cars to smartphones requiring advanced chips.
The Context: When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global semiconductor supply chain, it impeded the production flow of goods like cars and appliances, sending prices higher as supply was constrained. And while the Federal Reserve and other central banks have made progress in their fights against inflation, supply chain issues like a hurricane disrupting semiconductor production could cause inflation to rise again.
飓风海伦于星期四登陆美国东南部,造成致命洪水和价值数十亿美元的损失。这场风暴对北卡罗来纳州造成了特别严重的影响,也有可能会干扰价值5000亿美元的半导体产业,进而导致通货膨胀飙升。
海伦与半导体有何关系?根据The Verge的报道,北卡罗来纳州的Spruce Pine是地球上一些最纯净的石英之一。该镇的石英对半导体制造商至关重要,因为它用于生产硅片,这是半导体和芯片的关键组件。
在社交媒体网站(如X)分享的视频显示,围绕Spruce Pine地区的道路完全被淹没,尽管该镇的采矿作业造成的确切破坏尚不清楚。该镇采矿公司之一The Quartz Corp的发言人告诉The Verge,现在评论风暴对公司运营的影响还为时过早。
阅读更多:飓风海伦摧毁美国东南部的基础设施,使数百万人断电。
因此,这并非第一次自然灾害影响了Spruce Pine的采矿作业。据Wired报道,2008年一场火灾影响了该矿工厂生产该镇高纯度石英的能力,给整个行业带来"震颤"。但是,16年后的今天,半导体对全球经济更为重要,从汽车到智能手机都需要先进的芯片。
背景:当新冠疫情打乱了全球半导体供应链时,这阻碍了汽车和家电等商品的生产流通,由于供应受限,价格上涨。尽管美联储和其他央行在对抗通货膨胀方面取得了进展,但类似飓风干扰半导体生产的供应链问题可能会导致通货膨胀再次上升。
In addition to the town's mining companies, semiconductor manufacturing companies that are reliant on Spruce Pine's raw materials could be impacted by the flooding. These companies include Tawain Semiconductor Mfg (NYSE:TSM), ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML), Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT), and more.
In addition to the disruptions potentially caused by Hurricane Helene, ongoing labor disputes with dockworkers could also impact the global supply chain and increase the prices of goods.
Keep Reading:
除了该镇的矿业公司外,依赖Spruce Pine原材料的半导体制造公司可能受洪水影响。这些公司包括台湾半导体制造(纽约证券交易所:TSM)、阿斯麦控股(纳斯达克:ASML)、应用材料(纳斯达克:AMAT)等。
除了飓风Helene可能引发的中断,与码头工人持续存在的劳资纠纷也可能影响全球供应链并提高商品价格。
继续阅读:
- Amazon, Apple, Tesla Brace For Supply Chain Disruptions As Potential East Coast Dockworkers Strike Nears
- 亚马逊、苹果、特斯拉为潜在东海岸码头工人罢工临近而准备迎接供应链中断。
Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.
图像由Midjourney通过人工智能创建。