Since the corona pandemic, chip procurement has been a real challenge. There is now a whole gray market in China. Customers pay up to 500 times the conventional price. But that’s not the only problem.
“SPC5744PFK1AMLQ9, 300pcs, 21+. Do you need anything?” This is one of the messages in chip broker Wang’s overflowing inbox when she wakes up one morning in her apartment on the outskirts of the Chinese tech metropolis Shenzhen. Within a few minutes, the 32-year-old is at her computer, hastily clearing away empty packets of instant noodles and calling up a spreadsheet. The code refers to a chip manufactured by NXP Semiconductors that is used in the microcontroller unit of Autos is used. The sender is trying to find a buyer for 300 pieces that were not manufactured before 2021 and have come into his possession. It doesn’t say how.
Neither Wang, who only wants to be called by her last name, nor her team of six are reputable chip traders.
