[Digital Today reporter Seung-a Yoo] A warning has emerged that the auto industry could face a new semiconductor supply shortage driven by the spread of artificial intelligence.

InsideEVs, an electric vehicle-focused outlet, reported on Nov. 10 that supplies of general-purpose semiconductors used in cars and industrial equipment are being squeezed as demand rises from AI data centres and the robot industry.

The concern is not the result of AI chip companies such as Nvidia securing large volumes of high-performance graphics processing units. As AI-related businesses become more profitable, semiconductor production capacity, engineering manpower and investment are shifting to data centre chips. That is pushing back output of mature-process semiconductors used in cars and other products.

Stephan Tilger (스테판 틸거), interim chief executive of Dutch chipmaker Nexperia, said rivals are redirecting general-purpose semiconductor production capacity to chips for AI data centres. Bottlenecks are appearing across auto supply chains as a result, he said, adding that the auto industry is taking a significant hit.

STMicroelectronics, introduced as a Swiss company, and its CEO Jean-Marc Chery (장마르크 셰리) raised similar concerns. Foundries and semiconductor packaging companies are gradually pulling back production capacity from automotive and industrial products. Tilger added that the emerging robot industry is also adding strain to the semiconductor supply chain.

The auto industry is already feeling rising costs. German auto parts maker Aumovio, which supplies vehicle electronic components such as sensors and cameras to BYD, BMW and Ford, warned in a recent earnings release that semiconductor costs are rising and could surge next year.

Klaus Bauer (클라우스 바우어), Aumovio's interim chief financial officer, pointed to AI data centres as the cause of the cost increase. He said the data centre industry has little price sensitivity and demand is strong enough that chip suppliers could sell even volumes equal to twice their current production capacity into that market.

The auto industry has faced semiconductor shortages before. During the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions forced automakers to halt production lines or ship vehicles without some electronic convenience features, such as auto stop-start.

It is still unclear whether the current supply pressure will worsen to the same extent as then. If the shift of semiconductor production capacity toward AI and the robot industry continues, automakers could face heavier burdens in parts procurement and production costs.