The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains. Notable is a shortage of microprocessors that is affecting several industries. Auto manufacturers are having to scale back new car production due to this shortage. For example, Toyota is forecasting a 40% - 60% drop in new car production (Kageyama, 2021).

Read this aggregated Twitter thread by Trung Phan (2021) exploring some of the issues affecting global microprocessor supply.

Read the article, I Asked Experts Why Carmakers Can't Just Transition To Newer Chips In Stock. Here's What They Told Me by Adam Ismail (2021) about the specific microprocessor requirements of carmakers.

Could this microprocessor shortage have been anticipated?

Given the information provided by Phan (2021) and Ismail (2021), could companies have moderated this supply issue in any way?

If you were advising a company dependent on microprocessor supply, what actions would you suggest to mitigate this supply issue?