About Author

Tom Swallow

Tom Swallow, a writer and editor in the B2B realm, seeks to bring a new perspective to the supply chain conversation. Having worked with leading global corporations, he has delivered thought-provoking content, uncovering the intrinsic links between commercial sectors. Tom works with businesses to understand the impacts of supply chain on sustainability and vice versa, while bringing the inevitable digitalisation into the mix. Consequently, he has penned many exclusives on various topics, including supply chain transparency, ESG, and electrification for a myriad of leading publications—Supply Chain Digital, Sustainability Magazine, and Manufacturing Global, just to name a few.

Recent Articles

Automotive and AI Two Industries Fuel the Capacitor Boom

Automotive and AI: Two Industries Fuel the Capacitor Boom Emerging technologies are taking over every aspect of consumers’ lives, and a multitude of business functions. With everything turning digital, the demand for capacitors for high-powered applications is growing exponentially as both cars and computers rely on safe, efficient parts to enable complex functions. The insurgence of artificial intelligence (AI) influences power needs across various sectors, including data center operations and energy Read Article

EU's Digital Compass Initiative

Overview of the EU's Digital Compass Initiative The world is changing, and digital technology is embedded in every industry’s strategy for transformation, from commercial automation, efficiency, and optimization to the simplification of healthcare and essential services. Conscious efforts have been made by nations and corporations to integrate digital transformation—the end goal being either profit or improvement of practice. Needless to say, without technology’s evolution, globalization would Read Article

Chip Counterfeits

How Chip Counterfeits Are Getting More Sophisticated Despite the quality assurance and rigor of semiconductor standards, the industry is still prone to counterfeiting, which can only have detrimental effects the longer it continues. There are various elements that should provoke electronics buyers and manufacturers to dig deeper into the procurement process to uncover any potential blemishes in products they wish to purchase. With shortages afoot in some areas of the PCB market and abundances in Read Article

What Will It Take For Japan to Dominate Chip Production Again

What Will It Take For Japan to Dominate Chip Production Again? These days the conversation surrounds three major companies: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Samsung, and SK Hynix—the main providers of early-stage chips. However, as the industry evolved over time, many organizations had roles to play in the successful growth of semiconductor innovation and production. Japan was home to six of the top 10 semiconductor manufacturing companies in the world back in 1988—a time when the Asian island Read Article

Overview of SiC Manufacturing Capacity Growth

Overview of SiC Manufacturing Capacity Growth Silicon carbide promises great benefits over silicon semiconductor chips and the industry recognizes this, increasing manufacturing capacity for exponential growth Read Article

HBM Supply Chain Feels Pressure: Is a Shortage Coming Soon_

HBM Supply Chain Feels Pressure: Is a Shortage Coming Soon? HBM could be sold out until 2026, but this is not necessarily a marker of an impending chip shortage, but could result in supplier shifts Read Article

NVIDIA Holds 80% AI Chip Market Share: Who's the Next AI Chip Supplier?

NVIDIA Holds 80% AI Chip Market Share: Who's the Next AI Chip Supplier? If there were a word to sum up NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s response to growing competition in the AI chip segment, it would be “paranoid”, as he told CNBC in the first half of 2024. Despite a major stake in the market—high enough for the company to be referred to as a “moat”—the company still faces an impending boom in artificial intelligence (AI) chip creation. However, NVIDIA’s response is simply to accelerate its efforts, bringing new chip Read Article

How Will RISC-V Change Supply Chains For Advanced Chips?

How Will RISC-V Change Supply Chains For Advanced Chips? From innovative new electronics to the most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) use cases, advanced chips form the backbone of the latest technologies—the current rate of innovation hinges on more power in smaller packages. For years, many industries have not had the expertise or resources to pursue custom chip designs, despite the fact that custom chips would bring a huge range of features in varying applications, such as harnessing the power Read Article

Move Over China, Malaysia Intends to Be the Next Semiconductor Powerhouse

Move Over China, Malaysia Intends to Be the Next Semiconductor Powerhouse While China combats other regions of the world with new import-export tariffs and uncertainty around its long-term distribution of electronics, there is potential for Malaysia to make headway in the industry. Watching things unfold we realize that, following great effort to improve the supply of components like semiconductors and other pieces of consumer electronics, there is potential for these gains to be reversed in the form of higher overall Read Article

How Are Buyers Working Around New Chinese Tariffs?

How Are Buyers Working Around New Chinese Tariffs? The trade war between the US and China is triggering significant changes that could impact supply chains, from the electronic powerhouse in the Far East to the emerging Western industries. However, China’s favorable pricing structure may alleviate any concerns about increased import prices and limitations, resulting in mere inconveniences for supply chains rather than major disruptions. Not only is the US making bold changes, though, as European Read Article

The Chip Demand Rebound is Slower Than Expected; Here's Why

The Chip Demand Rebound is Slower Than Expected; Here's Why While the overall success of the semiconductor industry hinges on teetering supply and demand, the industry strives for equilibrium between them. Particularly in Taiwan, national trade for technology purposes relies heavily on this as chips make up more than 15% of its gross domestic product (GDP). While semiconductor supply increases, reduced purchases of advanced technologies slows demand as companies make cuts in the wake of the global Read Article

Can Buyers Be Proactive About Obsolescence?

Can Buyers Be Proactive About Obsolescence? Ever changing technologies and fluctuations in supply and demand in the semiconductor industry lead to more cases of component obsolescence—a historical response to evolving technology or shifts in the supply chain. More than 70% of electronic components become obsolete before they are installed and buyers are always trailing behind their suppliers as they develop newer, more capable parts. This can likely occur through discontinuation of certain Read Article

New Distributors Appear as Chip Inventories and Sales Grow

New Distributors Appear as Chip Inventories and Sales Grow The semiconductor industry is experiencing its most profound growth period, and cementing its importance in the digitized world. Now the industry must leverage this growth to serve development in other industries—namely the AI-driven technology makers and data-center operators—to maintain an upward trajectory. With revenue growth set to exceed US$1.38 trillion in 2029, it seems that more companies have considered their position in this market and Read Article

When Should Buyers Approach Semiconductor Manufacturers Directly? The cost of buying from manufacturers is more attractive, but component distributors offer flexibility and choice when purchasing semiconductors Read Article