Die Hersteller von Chips kommen mit Produzieren nicht nach. Auch Zulieferer wie die Schweizer Firma VAT kämpfen mit dem KI-Boom

The chip manufacturing industry is struggling to keep up with the surge in demand, particularly from data centers that process massive amounts of artificial intelligence (AI) data. Swiss chip manufacturer VAT, which produces vacuum valves for chip production lines, has hired 700 new employees in the first half of the year, but still cannot meet the high demand. The chip industry is growing so rapidly that it can make one dizzy.

VAT has been actively seeking new workers, adding 200 employees in Switzerland alone this first semester, increasing the local workforce by 13 percent to 1,800 employees. The company's hiring spree reflects the overall boom in the semiconductor industry, with Micron Technology, a leading American manufacturer, reporting a 250 percent increase in revenue to $133 billion in the year-to-date period ending September. Micron attributes the revenue surge mainly to price hikes.

Micron, along with South Korean competitors Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, produces high-bandwidth memory chips that are in high demand due to their crucial role in data centers processing AI data. These chips have seen a significant price increase over the past year. Market estimations predict an annual growth rate of over 60 percent for the years 2026 to 2028, far exceeding supply.

The production expansion in the semiconductor industry is slow due to the long time required to establish new chip factories and the scarcity of materials needed for their construction. The chip manufacturers and their suppliers are also experiencing longer delivery times across the value chain, which has led to declining sales for VAT, down 8 percent to 512 million francs in the first semester.

Analysts project a 24 percent growth for the entire year, with a further 40 percent increase expected by 2027. VAT had initially expected a 1.5 to 1.7 billion franc revenue for the upcoming year, but management now plans to review this forecast in light of the investment boom in the semiconductor industry. Market estimations suggest that $145 billion in investments will flow into new chip production facilities in 2026, a 20 percent increase from the previous year.