Taiwan earthquake reminds us how vulnerable the world's chip supply really is

pcgamer.com:

Taiwan based semiconductor manufacturers reported no major damage after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the south eastern coast of Taiwan on September 18. The geology of Taiwan means it is highly vulnerable to earthquakes, and this latest one provides a reminder of how vulnerable a huge chunk(opens in new tab) of the world’s chip supply is.

The quake was one of several, with the first on September 17 causing little damage, but the mainshock led to several building collapses and power outages, and over 100 injuries and one death.

According to Digitimes Asia(opens in new tab), major companies including TSMC and Micron reported no damage. Most of the major facilities are located on the western side of the island, meaning the shocks in the area were of much lower intensity. However, UMC CFO Chi-tung Liu and the China Science and Technology Administration reported (opens in new tab)that some equipment went into automatic shutdown.

The latest quake serves as a reminder that global chip supply remains highly vulnerable to disruption. Building standards have improved over recent decades, and semiconductor manufacturing facilities are certainly among the most resilient(opens in new tab). Recent facilities are designed to withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of 7.0 in order to protect the lifeblood of the Taiwanese economy.

Best CPU for gaming(opens in new tab): The top chips from Intel and AMDBest gaming motherboard(opens in new tab): The right boardsBest graphics card(opens in new tab): Your perfect pixel-pusher awaitsBest SSD for gaming(opens in new tab): Get into the game ahead of the rest

Taiwan has a long history of earthquakes, including the 1999 magnitude 7.3 Jiji earthquake that killed over 2,400 people. It resulted