VOA慢速英語：芯片短缺轉(zhuǎn)為過剩

The coronavirus pandemic left makers of personal computers, smartphones, and cars without the computer chips needed to make their products.
疫情使個人電腦、智能手機和汽車制造商所需的計算機芯片短缺。
 
That suddenly changed during a period of three weeks from late May to June. High inflation, China's latest COVID restrictions and the war in Ukraine have reduced consumer spending -- especially on computers and smartphones.
從5月下旬到6月的三周時間里，這種情況突然發(fā)生了變化。高通脹、中國最新的疫情限制以及烏克蘭戰(zhàn)爭抑制了消費者支出——尤其是在電腦和智能手機上。
 
Chip shortages turned into a surplus in some industries. By late June, memory chip company Micron Technology Inc. said it would reduce production. The sudden change in the market caught Micron by surprise, said Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana.
在某些行業(yè)，芯片短缺變成了過剩。到6月底，存儲芯片公司美光科技公司表示將減產(chǎn)。首席商務(wù)官 Sumit Sadana 表示，市場的突然變化讓美光措手不及。
 
Worries about an industry recession have severely affected computer chip stocks. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index has fallen 35 percent so far in 2022. That is far more than the S&P 500's 19 percent loss.
對行業(yè)衰退的擔(dān)憂嚴重影響了計算機芯片庫存。2022 年迄今費城半導(dǎo)體指數(shù)下跌了 35%，遠超標準普爾 500 指數(shù) 19% 的跌幅。
 
Hoarding is making the situation worse. Hoarding is the practice of collecting or storing a large amount of something. Many manufacturers stored a large number of computer chips during the pandemic.
芯片囤積讓情況變得更糟。囤積是收集或儲存大量東西的做法。許多制造商在疫情期間存儲了大量的芯片。
 
Before that, those manufacturers ordered parts as close to production time as possible to avoid having extra supplies and to reduce storage space and spending.
在此之前，這些制造商訂購的零件盡可能接近生產(chǎn)時間，以避免庫存過剩、縮減倉庫空間和削減前期支出。
 
Experts say the computer chip surplus has hit unevenly across business areas. Big suppliers of chips to electronics makers will be hit hardest by the decline, said semiconductor expert Tristan Gerra.
專家表示，芯片過剩對各個業(yè)務(wù)領(lǐng)域的影響并不均衡。半導(dǎo)體專家特里斯坦·杰拉表示，電子產(chǎn)品制造商的芯片大供應(yīng)商受到的沖擊最嚴重。
 
Computer chip design company Nvidia Corp could be hit especially hard as prices continue to fall, Gerra added. Nvidia produces graphic chips used for gaming and the digital money known as cryptocurrency.
杰拉還說，隨著價格持續(xù)下跌，計算機芯片設(shè)計公司英偉達可能會受到特別嚴重的打擊。英偉達公司生產(chǎn)用于游戲和被稱為加密貨幣的數(shù)字貨幣的圖形芯片。
 
Among those least affected by a surplus are Apple Inc's suppliers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, said computer chip expert Matt Bryson. Demand remains high for Apple devices.
計算機芯片專家馬特·布賴森 (Matt Bryson) 表示，受芯片過剩影響最小的是臺積電等蘋果公司的供應(yīng)商。蘋果設(shè)備對芯片的需求仍然很高。
Industry executives and experts cannot say how many surplus chips are in storerooms around the world. But industry expert Mark Lipacis said supply numbers for the first three months of 2022 hit a record high at major electronics manufacturing services companies. The earlier record was over 20 years ago.
行業(yè)高管和專家無法確定全球儲藏了多少剩余芯片。但行業(yè)專家馬克·利帕西斯表示，主要電子制造服務(wù)公司2022年前三個月的供應(yīng)量創(chuàng)下同期歷史新高。上次破紀錄還是在20多年前。
 
Manufacturers may decide to use up chips in storerooms instead of buying new ones, and cancel orders, Lipacis warned.
利帕西斯警告稱，制造商可能會決定先用完庫存中的芯片，而不是購買新的芯片，也可能會取消訂單。
 
Some experts said automobile chipmakers are safe for now. But that may not last long.
一些專家表示，汽車芯片制造商目前是安全的，但也可能不會持續(xù)太久。
 
Industry expert Stacy Rasgon told Reuters that automakers were ordering far more chips than they appeared to need.
行業(yè)專家斯特西·拉斯岡告訴路透社，汽車制造商訂購的芯片數(shù)量遠遠超過他們的需求。
 
That will create a problem when vehicle makers stop buying chips to use up their current supplies.
當汽車制造商為消耗庫存而停止購買芯片時，問題就會浮出水面。
 
I'm Jonathan Evans.
喬納森·埃文斯報道。