Chip Plant Damage Was Worse Than Expected

The company said soot from a recent fire damaged more equipment than originally anticipated.

A recent fire at Japanese chipmaker Renesas was unwelcome news for many industries struggling to maintain their semiconductor supplies.

At the time, the plant’s 300mm wafer line was impacted and company leaders prepped the industry for a shutdown of a month or longer.

New reports this week suggest the damage to the line may be worse than Renesas originally believed.

Nikkei Asia is reporting that the company has said 17 machines were impacted, rather than the 11 they’d originally counted.

The company reportedly said the effect of soot on the production equipment was more extreme than originally anticipated.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is said to be helping support Renesas as it scrambles to obtain replacement equipment, both new and secondhand.

The effect of this shutdown is expected to be difficult, especially for automakers who are already facing shortages of these key components.

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