iPhone screen production hit by shortage of display driver chips

iPhone screen production has been hit by the on-going shortage of display driver chips, says a new report today. The shortage is set to affect production both this month and next.

The issue is expected to run into the millions of display panels…

Background

The global chip shortage was created by a mix of factors. These include increased demand for technology during the pandemic, COVID-related production disruption, and a growing demand for chips by car-makers; as cars rely on increasing numbers of microprocessor units.

The biggest issue is not with CPUs and GPUs, but far more mundane chips like display drivers and power management systems. These relatively low-tech chips are used in a huge number of devices, including Apple ones.

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that supply constraints cost Apple $6B in each of the last two quarters.

iPhone screen production hit

The Elec reports that at least one of Apple’s OLED suppliers for iPhone has been badly hit by a shortage of display drivers.

Chinese display giant BOE is facing production problems in OLED panels for iPhones due to the ongoing global chip shortage, TheElec has learned. The shortage will affect production this month and next month, sources said […]

The Chinese display giant internally had aimed to ship over 40 million units of OLED panels for iPhones this year, another group of people familiar with the matter said. It is unlikely that they will meet this target now and its ultimate shipment numbers will more close to 30 million units by the end of the year.

Samsung is Apple’s biggest OLED supplier, with LG in second place, and BOE in third.

Photo: Brian Kostiuk/Unsplash