According to Japanese media reports, a fire broke out in a factory of AKM Semiconductor, Inc. in Nobeoka-shi, Japan. AKM Semiconductor is a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) engaged in IC manufacturing, and is also the only fab under the AKM Group.
The report pointed out that it took three days for the fire to be completely extinguished, and the situation was far worse than the previous fires at Samsung and Toshiba's chip factories. At present, the factory has stopped production, and it will take at least half a year to recover.
According to the report, AKM Group said it would increase outsourcing production to meet market demand. There is no detailed description of the specific impact on production and supply, but according to the supply chain, the fire caused panic in the supply chain. Companies using AKM chips, sensors and other products have begun to increase their purchases to prevent possible shortages in the future.
Supply chain sources said that considering that the ICs produced by AKM are not common processors, flash memory, memory, etc., it will not affect the overall IC market, but there may be price increases and shortages in specific industries.
