EDITORIAL: Enhancing supply chain resilienceThe government and Taiwanese semiconductor companies should focus on enhancing local domestic supply chain resilience as geopolitical tensions and war in the Middle East pose a growing risk to chip production. Many semiconductor companies believe that supply chain disruption is a distant headache, with significantly stronger supply chain resilience and countermeasures put in place after the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The supply of helium, used in semiconductor production, could become a choke point after Qatar shut down its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and helium output following strikes on its infrastructure. While the Ministry of Economic Affairs is confident that LNG supplies are adequate, supply chain resilience must cover many bases. However, as peace talks crawl along, semiconductor companies should shift their efforts to improve domestic supply chain resilience and avoid supply constraints of all of their critical materials from becoming a bottleneck for chip production.

Source: Taipei Times March 24, 2026 21:48 UTC