02-04-2021, 06:27 PM
Paul F. wrote:
[quote=ztirffritz]
I wonder if/when Tesla will be impacted by this? They have their own chip designs and contract manufacturers, whereas GM, Ford and others are buying off-the-shelf components. It might be that Tesla is somewhat insulated from this shortage.
What's likely is, if it seriously impacts Tesla, they'll (very quickly) build a chip manufacturing plant of their own. They learned from SpaceX - if a subcontractor/supplier quotes an unacceptably long lead time, you can have a factory to build the part finished and operating faster than waiting for someone else to deliver the part... so don't wait!
Typical lead to to build a chip foundry is a couple years or more, and about $1 billion at a minimum. It can be lower for small scale production, especially if older tech is good enough.