The EC consultation on the semiconductors’ value chain.
Date: 2023-07-24
Institutions: Joint Research Centre
Subjects: competitiveness, electronic component, environmental risk prevention, globalisation, industrial policy, research report, security of supply, supply chain, value chain

JRC TECHNICAL REPORT 

The EC consultation on the 
semiconductors’ value chain 

ISSN 1831-9424 

Rosati, N., 
Bonnet, P.,  
Ciani, A.,  
Duch Brown, N.,  
Miguez, S., 
Zaurino, E. 

2023 

 EUR 31585 EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
This publication is a Technical report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It 
aims  to  provide  evidence-based  scientific  support  to  the  European  policymaking  process.  The  contents  of  this  publication  do  not 
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authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 

Contact information  
Name: Michela NARDO 
Email: michela.NARDO@ec.europa.eu 

EU Science Hub 
https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu 

JRC133892 

EUR 31585 EN 

PDF   ISBN 978-92-68-05367-6  

ISSN 1831-9424  

doi:10.2760/609020           KJ-NA-31-585-EN-N 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023  

© European Union, 2023  

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How to cite this report: Rosati, N., Bonnet, P., Ciani, A., Duch Brown, N., Miguez, S. and Zaurino, E., The EC consultation on the semiconductors’ 
value chain, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2023, doi:10.2760/609020, JRC133892. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONTENTS  

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... 1 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................... 2 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................ 3 

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 6 

THE SUPPLIERS’ SURVEY ........................................................................... 13 

STRUCTURAL DEPENDENCIES ................................................................... 21 

MARKET INTELLIGENCE ............................................................................ 31 

ENDUSERS SURVEY ................................................................................... 43 

QUALITATIVE RESPONSES ......................................................................... 53 

CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................... 58 

LIST OF BOXES ........................................................................................... 60 

LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................... 61 

LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................... 63 

LIST OF ANNEXES ...................................................................................... 64 

ANNEXES: THE QUESTIONNAIRES............................................................. 65 

i 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ABSTRACT 

In October 2022 the EU Commission launched a consultation to companies 
operating  as  suppliers  or end-users  in the  European  semiconductor value 
chain.  The  consultation  was  initiated  in  the  context  of  the  European 
Semiconductor Expert Group’s activities which intends to prepare to ground 
for the implementation of the monitoring system envisioned in the EU Chips 
Act. European companies involved in the ecosystem were identified thanks 
to experts from all EU Member States (MS). 

Questions  in  the  survey  had  the  objective  to  obtain  information  on  the 
characteristics  of  companies,  their  position  in  the  value  chain,  their 
dependencies  on  demand  and  supply  from  specific  geographical 
jurisdictions, and to assess whether they faced shortages and bottlenecks 
during  the  year  preceding  the  survey.  The  collected  information  is  quite 
comprehensive  for  large  European  suppliers.  However,  responses  are  not 
sufficient to conclude on SMEs and end-user companies, which should be 
further investigated.  

The results of the consultation indicated that, overall, European companies 
are well integrated in the global value chain as they source inputs from and 
supply outputs to North America, China, Japan, and other Asian countries. 
Moreover, a non-negligible share of respondents have headquarters located 
outside the EU.  

In addition, the majority of companies indicated that their inputs have been 
in  limited  supply  during  the  12  months  preceding  the  survey,  especially 
equipment, chemicals, and gasses. Most suppliers encountered difficulties 
also  in  delivering  their  output,  and  more  than  half  witnessed  changes  in 
clients’ procurement behaviour. Disruptions in the value chain are confirmed 
by almost half of end-users, which also reported shortages of mature nodes.  

Finally,  several  respondents  stressed  the  importance  of  supporting 
investments  and  production  through  EU  funds  and  subsidies,  with  the 
purpose  not  only  of  developing  leading  edge  semiconductor  technologies 
but also of building up mature node capacity in the EU. Public-funding, R&D, 
and the availability of a qualified labour force are the three main directions 
for improvement identified by respondents.  

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

We  thank  colleagues  at  the  Directorate-General  for  Communications 
Networks,  Content  and  Technology  (DG-CNECT)  for  their  essential  help  in 
defining the questions, carrying out the survey, discussing the results and 
improving this report. 

Representatives of Member States (MS) gave feedback on the design of the 
consultation  and  helped 
identifying  and  contacting  the  companies 
participating to the survey.  

Several EU companies interacted with the EU Commission Staff during the 
preparation of the survey. Their feedback and comments on the design of 
the questions were highly valuable and appreciated.  

Disclaimer: This document should be regarded solely as a summary of the 
contributions  made  by  respondents  in  the  targeted  public  consultation.  It 
cannot  be  regarded  as  the  official  position  of  the  Commission  and  its 
services,  and  thus  does  not  bind  the  Commission.  Please  note  that  the 
targeted respondents cannot be considered as a representative sample of 
the entire European semiconductor ecosystem. 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The key products of semiconductor material – namely the chips - are 
the  building  block  for  all  digital  and  electronic  products  used  in 
everyday  activities  ranging  from  computers  and  smartphones,  to 
house appliances and cars. Semiconductors are also central for critical 
applications  and  infrastructures  in  energy,  mobility,  healthcare, 
communications,  data  processing,  and  industrial  automation.  Chips 
constitute strategic assets for key industries underpinning the digital 
and green transformation and are also crucial for the deployment of 
future  technologies,  including  artificial  intelligence  (AI)  and  edge 
computing. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  pandemic  in  2020,  the  Union  has 
experienced  unprecedented  disruptions  in  the  semiconductor  value 
chain. The recent global chips shortage has caused product scarcity 
ranging  from  medical  devices  to  cars,  constrained  domestic 
production, and undermined the performance of the digital and green 
transition as a whole.    

To respond to the crisis and enhance the resilience of the supply chain, 
the  European  Commission  has  proposed  the  European  Chips  Act, 
which includes a comprehensive set of measures for strengthening 
the EU’s semiconductor ecosystem. From supporting innovation and 
technological  capacity  building  in  cutting-edge  chips  (Pillar  I),  to 
designing  a  framework  to  ensure  security  of  supply  and  attract 
investments  in  production  capacities  (Pillar  II),  it  also  includes  the 
willingness  to  create  a  coordinated  mechanism  between  the 
Commission  and  the  Member  States  to  monitor  the  semiconductor 
value chain and to anticipate semiconductor crises (Pillar III).  

In the context of  Pillar III  and as part  of the work  of  the  European 
Semiconductor  Expert  Group  (ESEG),  the  Commission  launched  a 
stakeholder consultation on the European semiconductor value chain 
as  a  first  step  to  gather  relevant  data  and  monitor  potential 
disruptions. The consultation was divided into two surveys, one for the 
suppliers and one for the end-users of semiconductor products. The 
focus of the consultation was to collect information on the production 
organization and the structure of the different segments, as well as 
choke points and companies’ needs.  

By  the  launch  of  the  consultation  in  October  2022,  1049  EU  firms 
were identified as belonging to the semiconductors’ supply chain. The 
list of invited firms corresponded to all those identified at that time 
as part of the EU semiconductor ecosystem, including firms from all 
27 Member States and covering all segments of the supply chain. By 
the  end  of  December  2022,  117  enterprises  had  responded  to  the 
survey. Among these, 30 large players, representing more than half 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
of  the  total  turnover  for  the  EU  semiconductors  industry.  The 
remaining  87  respondents  were  SMEs,  which  provided  valuable 
insight, given that the information available on the smaller players at 
the time was limited.  

Given  the  rather  limited  number  of  respondents,  the  collected 
information  can  only  offer  a  partial  picture  of  the  European 
semiconductors’  ecosystem,  especially  for  SMEs,  although  being 
rather comprehensive for the large players. In particular, the survey 
enabled the Commission to confirm its understanding of the European 
value chain starting with its characterisation in terms of technology. 
Respondents operate in all ranges of technology nodes, but activity is 
more concentrated around mature nodes. Only 29% of suppliers have 
to do with cutting-edge nodes, mainly equipment producers and chip 
designers,  while  almost  half  of  the  respondents  work  on  mature 
nodes, such as silicon technology.  

The consultation also showed that EU suppliers rely both for input and 
output on foreign countries, mainly North America, although the main 
partner  remain  the  EU.  The  vast  majority  of  companies  supply  the 
EU27 market, which absorbs a large share of production (on average 
more  than  half  of  a  company’s  sales).  About  two-thirds  of 
respondents  export  to  North  America,  although  on  average  only  a 
quarter of their sales are destined there. Almost one out of two EU 
companies  receives  inputs  from  Asian  countries  (excluding  China), 
while  more  than  one  out  of  three  companies  sources  inputs  from 
China.  As  expected,  large  firms  seem  to  have  a  more  diversified 
expenditure on inputs across geographical areas than SMEs. 

Vulnerabilities  to  the  recent  shock  were  confirmed  by  the  survey’s 
results, in line with the global trends. The vast majority of firms stated 
that  there  have  been  factors  outside  their  control  affecting  their 
ability to deliver outputs as well as shortages of inputs disrupting their 
production capacity. Shortages of inputs – especially for equipment 
and chemicals and gases – resulted in a longer production process, 
pressure  on  inventories  and  delays  in  delivering  output.  The  main 
causes behind these disruptions have been logistic issues, especially 
delays in deliveries, and macroeconomic factors such as the increase 
in prices.  

Future shortage of energy seems to worry almost half of suppliers, 
while about two-thirds expect shortages in equipment to persist also 
in  the  near  future.  Moreover,  around  half  of  the  producers  foresee 
trouble in sourcing chemicals and gases in the next 12-24 months. 
However, large companies have already adopted  several mitigating 
measures, mainly related to a better risk-management practice such 
as  the  introduction  of  periodical  risk  reviews,  to  contrasts  potential 
future crisis.  

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A  parallel  consultation  was  directed  at  the  end-users  of  the 
semiconductor  value  chain.  Given  the  widespread  use  of  chips  in 
modern  manufactured  products,  the  definition  of  a  sample  of end-
users is nearly impossible and the participation rate has been low, so 
results  need  to  be  interpreted  with  caution.  Nevertheless,  the  few 
companies reached on this occasion confirmed the distress underwent 
in this last period, similarly to the suppliers.  

Several next steps can be envisaged after this consultation in order 
to continue with an EU-wide monitoring system of the supply chain. 
Still, a lesson learnt from this exercise is that the participation in the 
consultation is affected by the survey fatigue of companies. This hints 
at the fact that other tools should be identified. One potential avenue 
could  be  to  follow  a  tailored  approach,  especially  for  large  firms, 
which,  for  instance,  might  entail  ad-hoc  interviews  to  value  chain 
managers. At the same time, additional efforts need to be undertaken 
with respect to SMEs in order to properly identify them and determine 
how  to  best  address  their  needs  with  public  intervention,  when 
possible. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

THE GLOBAL SEMICONDUCTORS’ SUPPLY CHAIN 

the  past 

three  decades 

Semiconductors  are  essential  to  the  functioning  of  our  modern 
economy  and  society.  Over 
the 
semiconductors  market  grew  at  a  7.5%  compound  annual  growth 
rate, well above the 5% growth of world GDP1. The development of 
semiconductors  has  not  only  fostered  innovation,  but  has  also 
brought economic value. Between 1995 and 2015, IHS estimated an 
additional $3 trillion in global GDP directly linked to semiconductors 
advancements and $11 trillion of indirect impact2. In 2022, sales of 
chips surpassed $675 billion worldwide, and in the coming four years, 
the market for chips is expected to increase of 20%, reaching $800 
billion in 20263. 

The supply chain of semiconductor products is complex, global, and 
involves  a  large  number  of  enterprises  with  a  high  level  of 
interdependencies.  Since  the  pioneer  companies  in  the  1960s,  the 
semiconductor 
industry  structure  has  evolved  from  virtually 
integrated  companies,  performing  all  the  production  steps  (e.g. 
Phillips in Europe), to a specialized structure where one company only 
operates in one or few segments of the supply chain.  

There are many factors that have favored a strong specialization of 
the  supply  chain:  the  increase  of  technological  complexity  in  every 
segment, the skilled workforce interconnected with R&D, the capital 
costs for innovating and producing especially the smaller nodes, and 
the need for cost-saving solutions through scale economy. Today, no 
company (or even country) is vertically integrated across all stages of 
production even if reshoring, re-agglomeration or regionalization are 
currently taking place, driven by geopolitical concerns and the fear of 
supply chain disruptions. 

In  the  global  supply  chain  of  semiconductors,  the  EU  has  a  good 
position  for  the  production  of  equipment  for  manufacturing  chips 
(21% of market share) with a dominant position in the production of 
lithography equipment for the most technologically advanced chips. 

1 BCG (2021): Varas, A., Varadarajan, R., Goodrich, J., & Yinug, F, “Strengthening the 
global  semiconductor supply  chain in an  uncertain era,” Boston Consulting Group 
and Semiconductor Industry Association, April, 35, 2021. 
2 Information Handling Services (IHS), Moore’s law impact, 2015 
3 TechInsights, 2022. Sales refer to analog, memory, logic and discrete & 
optoelectronic chips. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
The wafer production, the chip design and the chip production in EU 
have a market share limited to 14%, 10% and 7%, respectively4. The 
other segments of the supply chain from IP, to the EDA, to the ATP, to 
the equipment for assembly and packaging are weak, with low shares, 
including  the  EDA  segment  where  the  EU  has  an  almost  complete 
dependency. 

TOWARDS AN EU REGULATION 

Within  the  past  years,  the  Union  has  witnessed  unprecedented 
disruptions in semiconductors’ supply, which have led to negative 
effects on important economic sectors, including delays to the repair 
and  maintenance  of  essential  products  for  critical  sectors.   Against 
this background, the Commission published on 8 February 2022 the 
European  Chips  Act  Package  to  address  the  global  semiconductor 
crisis, create an attractive environment for investment and strengthen 
Europe's  technological  leadership  along  the  semiconductor  value 
chain.  The  package  includes  a  Recommendation  with  the  effect  to 
facilitate the rapid and coordinated monitoring of the European 
semiconductor  value  chain,  focussing  on  risks  that  may  disrupt, 
compromise or negatively affect the supply of semiconductors.   

In  order  to  enact  the  above-mentioned  Recommendation,  the 
European Semiconductor Expert Group (ESEG) has been set up. This 
group aims to facilitate a rapid and effective information exchange 
between  the  Member  States  and  the  Commission  on  market 
developments  that  put  Union  supplies  at  risk  and  to  foster  a 
coordinated crisis response. Meanwhile, the Expert Group should 
help to prepare the ground for the future monitoring actions of the 
European Semiconductor Board. The monitoring activities developed 
in  this  Expert  Group  will  form  the  basis  for  the  monitoring 
mechanisms that are part of Pillar III of the Chips Act (proposal for a 
Regulation).  

As  a  first  step  in  understanding  the  semiconductor  value  chain,  a 
stakeholder  consultation  was  conducted  between  October  and 
December 2022. This report provides the analysis of the results of the 
surveys conducted under the consultation. The document details both 
the  strategy  and  the  structure  of  the  surveys,  and  delivers  key 
insights obtained from the companies’ responses. 

4 Data TechInsights (accessed Feb. 2023) and CSET (2021): Khan, Saif M., Alexander 
Mann,  and  Dahlia  Peterson,  “The  semiconductor  supply  chain:  Assessing  national 
competitiveness,” Center for Security and Emerging Technology, 2021. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
Figure 1 - A semiconductor device 

Since 2020 there have been 
unprecedented supply 
disruptions in the 
semiconductor value chain 

OVERVIEW OF THE CONSULTATION  

The  focus  of  the  consultation  was  to  collect  information  on  the 
European  semiconductor  value  chain,  specifically  on  the  production 
organization,  structure  of  the  different  segments,  the  choke  points, 
and companies’ needs.  

The  consultation  consisted  of  two  surveys,  one  for 
the 
semiconductors’ suppliers and one for the end-users (Table 1). Both 
surveys  were  organized  to  include  similar  types  of  questions 
regarding company identification and structure, the products sold 
and purchased to identify company inputs and outputs, and, finally, 
questions regarding market intelligence and access to inputs.  

The suppliers’ questionnaire was differentiated from the end-users’ 
one as it included more detailed questions regarding the company’s 
activity, the global reach, and the output delivery. 

The category of questions related to market intelligence and access 
to inputs helped uncover useful information related to the bottlenecks 
and shortages, as well as on the situation of the company in 2022 
compared to 2021. 

Both  surveys  were  tested  on  a  set  of  companies  invited  by  the 
European  Semiconductor  Expert  Group.  The  validation  assessed  the 
formulation of the questions for the purpose of the survey and for the 
confidentiality of the requested information.  

The purpose of the 
consultation was to identify 
structural weaknesses and to 
gain an in-depth 
understanding regarding the 
risks associated with the 
segments of the value chain 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  responses  and  the  results  presented  in  this  document  were 
anonymized  and  aggregated  so  that  both  the  confidentiality  of 
information  and  data  obtained  during  the  consultation  is  respected 
and the responses cannot be traced back to the respondents. 

Table 1 - Questionnaire structure 

Companies overview 

Products sold  
and purchased 

Bottlenecks  
and shortages 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Box I - The functioning of the semiconductor supply 
chain 

The main output of the semiconductor supply chain is the chip, i.e. a 
tiny piece of semiconductor material (typically silicon) which embeds 
integrated circuits able to perform some specialized operations (e.g., 
digital data processing, memory, signal amplification).  

Semiconductor chips are the building blocks of digital products, from 
PCs  and  smartphones,  to  the  infotainment  of  cars  or  many  other 
digital  applications  from  gaming  consoles  to  domestic  appliances. 
Once  enclosed  in  a  small  package,  the  chips  are  ready  to  be 
assembled with other chips and other components, forming the final 
product to be shipped to the end users. 

The three main fabrication steps for passing from the semiconductor 
materials  to  the  packaged  chip  are  the  design,  the  fabrication  (or 
manufacturing) and the phase of testing, assembling and packaging. 
These steps correspond to the three main interconnected segments 
of the semiconductor supply chain (Figure 2). 

Figure 2 - The Semiconductor Supply Chain 

The design step includes the activities related to the design of the 
chip and simulation of its performance. The design step is performed 
using  specialized  software  tools  known  as  electronic  design 
automation (EDA). The design can make use of re-usable portions of 
designs,  known  as  core  intellectual  properties  (IP),  developed  by 
specialized companies and released upon granting of a license.  

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  activities  of  the  design  involve  companies  specialized  in  chip 
design (also called fabless), in EDA tools, and in IP. 

Fabrication  is  the  process  of  converting  the  design  into  a 
semiconductor  chip.  It  is  performed  in  one  or  more  semiconductor 
manufacturing  facilities  (“fabs”  or  “foundries”).  First,  a  disk  of 
semiconductor material (“wafer”) is produced. Then, the wafer goes 
through  numerous  manufacturing  processes  (e.g.,  lithography)  to 
physically form the multiple replicas of the integrated circuits on the 
same substrate.  

There are two business models for fabs: (1) fabs owned by Integrated 
Device Manufacturers (IDMs), which manufacture chips based on their 
own designs; and (2) foundries, i.e., fabs operating independently and 
manufacturing chips for third-party customers. 

Assembly, Testing, and Packaging (ATP) refers to the steps of:  

i) cutting a finished wafer into separate chips; 
ii) assembling each chip on a frame;  
iii) wiring the assembled chip to connect it to  external  devices, and 
enclosing it in a protective case or package.  

ATP can be performed following two business models: (1) as in-house 
ATP services carried out in IDMs and foundries after fabrication; and 
(2)  by  outsourced  semiconductor  assembly  and  test  (OSAT)  firms, 
operating  for  third-party  customers.  ATP  is  labour-intensive  and 
typically produces an added value lower than that of the design and 
the fabrication.  

For this reason, ATP facilities are typically established in developing 
countries with low labour cost. 

The  steps  of  manufacturing  and  ATP  can  be  performed  only  with 
specialized,  expensive,  and  often  highly  advanced  equipment. 
Moreover, these steps require numerous specialty materials, such as 
the  semiconductor  materials  like  silicon  and  the  chemical  products 
and gases for the manufacturing and ATP. Finally, all the steps of the 
chip  production  are  accompanied  by  intensive  R&D  to  enable  the 
technological evolution. 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 3 - Size of respondents   

Classification of respondents 
in terms of turnover and 
number of employees. 

23% recorded a turnover 
exceeding € 50m 

Ireland, Netherlands 
and Sweden are 
under-represented, 
while Belgium, 
Greece, Spain, France 
and Portugal are 
over-represented 

Figure 4 – Geographical origin: share of survey 
answers by country (vs share in the EU supply chain) 

Respondents are registered in 
24 different EU member 
states.  

84% of answers come from 
semiconductors’ suppliers 
based in just 12 countries. 

Figures in green correspond 
to the share of each country 
in the EU supply chain as 
identified at the beginning of 
the consultation (October 
2022). 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE SUPPLIERS’ SURVEY  

SAMPLE CREATION 

By  the  launch  of  the  consultation  in  October  2022,  1049  EU  firms 
were identified as belonging to the Semiconductors’ supply chain. DG 
CNECT personally invited each company to participate in the survey. 
The list of invited firms corresponded to all those identified at that 
time as suppliers to the EU semiconductors ecosystem, including firms 
from  all  27  member  states  and  covering  all  the  supply  chain 
segments (see Box I).  

By the end of December 2022, 117 enterprises had responded to the 
survey. Among these, 30 large players, representing more than half 
of  the  total  turnover  for  the  EU  semiconductors  industry.  The 
remaining  87  respondents  were  SMEs,  which  provided  valuable 
insight, given that the information available on the smaller players at 
the time was limited (see Figure 3). 

The evidence reported in the present and following chapters refers to 
the  information  provided  by  the  117  respondents  alone.  Given  the 
limited  number  of  respondents,  the  collected  information  can  offer 
only  a  partial  picture  of  the  EU  value  chain,  but  is  rather 
comprehensive for the large players. Whenever possible, results are 
linked to evidence from other sources, to confirm or complement the 
survey information. In some cases, respondents are also compared to 
the full list of firms in the EU supply chain as identified in October 
2022. 

OVERVIEW OF RESPONDENTS 

Figure 3 summarises key figures about the respondents’ size. Almost 
half (42%) of the companies declare a small turnover in 2021 (less 
than € 2m), while about 23% recorded more than € 50m. Among 
these, 12 had a turnover exceeding € 1bn. Of the 87 SMEs, about 
28% are middle-sized (with between 50 to 249 employees), while the 
vast majority declare at most 49 employees. Of the SMEs, 56% have 
turnover smaller than € 2m. 

The 117 respondents are registered in 24 different EU member 
states, with the large majority (84%) of answers coming from just 
12 countries. Figure 4 shows the breakdown for the member states 
with  the  largest  number  of  contributions,  reporting  the  respective 
shares  of  responses  and  comparing  them  with  the  share  in  the  EU 
supply chain as of October 2022 (Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, 

By the launch of the 
consultation in October 2022, 
1049 EU firms were 
identified as belonging to the 
Semiconductors’ supply 
chain. 

Survey results provide a 
partial picture of the 
ecosystem. Collected 
information is quite 
comprehensive for large 
producers.  

13 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 5 – Firms’ role and global reach 

About 15% of respondents 
are headquartered outside 
the EU27, indicating the 
integration of the EU 
companies in the worldwide 
value chain. 

Figure 6 – Position in the Value Chain – main segments  
Share of survey respondents (vs share in the EU supply chain) 

Respondents’ primary 
activities span through all 
segments of the value chain. 

Three quarters of 
respondents indicate also a 
secondary activity in the 
semiconductors ecosystem. 

Figures in green correspond 
to the share of each segment 
in the EU supply chain as 
identified at the beginning of 
the consultation (October 
2022). 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Finland, Sweden). 
Ireland,  Netherlands  and  Sweden  are  under-represented,  having  a 
smaller share of responses compared to the share of firms in the EU 
value chain. On the contrary, a larger share of suppliers from Belgium, 
Greece,  Spain,  France  and  Portugal  participated  in  the  survey  than 
their respective EU share. 

The  respondents  are  rather  young  companies,  half  founded  after 
2008. Some more mature companies are also present, with the oldest 
dating back to the second half of the XIX century. 

Respondents are overall 
rather young companies, with 
half of them founded after 
2008. 

Most of the firms participating in the survey (58%) do not belong to 
a  larger  business  group  and  identified  themselves  as  being 
independent  companies  (see  Figure  5).  About  12%  are  parent 
companies  of  corporate  groups,  while  the  remaining  30%  of  the 
respondents are subsidiaries or branches. For this last group of firms, 
the headquarters are located mainly in Europe (54% in EU27 and 11% 
in other European countries not included in the EU). However, these 
companies have also strong links with countries outside Europe: 17% 
of subsidiary firms have headquarters in an Asian country excluding 
China  (i.e.  ”other  Asia”)  and  14%  in  North  America.  Only  one 
respondent has headquarters in China. Overall, about 15% of all the 
respondents is headquartered outside the EU27, showing the level of 
integration of  the EU companies in the  worldwide value chain. This 
evidence is further confirmed by the input supplies and output sales, 
whose geographical distribution is reported later. 

RESPONDENTS’ ACTIVITIES 

In terms of primary activity, respondents cover all segments of the 
value  chain,  but  the  sample  is  not  representative  of  the  EU 
segmentation (see Figure 6). The most represented segment is “Chip 
designers  and  Fabless”  (40%  of  respondents).  This  activity  has  a 
significantly  higher  representation  compared  to  the  ecosystem 
identified in October 2022, where only 18% of EU firms belonged to 
this group. The second largest group of respondents are “Suppliers of 
other components and/or materials” (13%), followed by “Producers of 
equipment”  (11%),  IDMs  (10%)  and  “Developers  of  specialised 
software” (8%). This last category is also over-represented (against a 
3% in the EU value chain), while Equipment producers and IDMs are 
largely under-represented: shares in the value chain were of 23% and 
14%, respectively. 

Three  quarters  of  respondents  indicate  also  a  secondary  activity  in 
the  value  chain,  the  majority  as  “Suppliers  of  services“  (33%)  or 
“Developers of specialised software” (27%). 

Most of the firms 
participating in the survey are 
independent companies. 

About 15% of respondents 
have non-EU headquarters, 
showing the presence of 
foreign multinational 
enterprises (MNEs) in the EU 

Respondents’ primary 
activities span through all 
segments of the value chain. 

However, the sample is not 
representative of the 
segmentation of the EU 
value chain. 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 7 – Sectors of application (% of respondents with 
applications in each sector) 

The semiconductors supplied 
by the respondents find 
applications in various 
economic activities. 

Figure 8 – Technology nodes and segments 

Only 29% of respondents 
has to do with cutting-edge 
nodes (they are chip 
designers or suppliers of 
chemicals/equipment).  

About half of the 
respondents work on 
mature nodes.  

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  semiconductors  products  supplied  by  the  respondents  find 
applications  in  a  range  of  economic  activities  (Figure  7).  Almost 
three-quarters of companies (72%) indicate that their products have 
applications  in  Manufacturing  (including  electronics  sector).  Other 
popular  sectors  of  application  are  Transport  (including  automotive) 
(57%),  Space  &  Defence 
(50%)  and  Digital 
Infrastructure  (43%).  Less  than  one-third  of  respondents  indicate 
applications in further areas, such as Energy (32%), Public safety and 
security  (24%)  and  Banking  (20%).  At  less  than  20%  stand 
Construction,  Water  supply,  Financial  market  infrastructures  and 
Public administration. 

(53%),  Health 

Only about half of the companies indicated a NACE code classification 
of main industrial activity. Of these, roughly 65% are within division 
C  (Manufacturing),  with  49%  specifically  within  the  family  of 
“Manufacture  of  computers,  electronic  and  optical  products  (NACE 
2600)”.  Another  25%  of  those  who  specified  their  sector  indicated 
activity in Engineering or Scientific research and development (Codes 
from 7110 to 7220), while around 7% in Telecoms or IT (codes 5829 
to 6311). 

TECHNOLOGY NODES AND COMPOUNDS 

Respondents operate in all ranges of technology nodes, but activity is 
more  concentrated  around  mature  nodes  (see  Figure  8).  All 
production, 
(PCB) 
manufacturing, 
in  technologies  above  28 nm. 
Between 45% and 55% of companies are involved in nodes between 
28 and 180nm, while around 30% indicate nodes of 220 nm or above.  

including  Chips  and  Printed  Circuit  Board 

is  concentrated 

Fewer respondents are involved in more advanced technology nodes, 
below 22 nm: 40% of respondents indicated activity in the nodes 10-
22 nm,  29%  in  the  range  5-7 nm,  and  20%  below  5nm.  However, 
these companies are not producers, but belong to other segments of 
the value chain, such as Suppliers of chemicals and other components, 
Chip designers, Software developers, Equipment producers, plus one 
IDM. 

A wide range of materials is involved in the products handled by the 
respondents.  Silicon  (Si)  technology  is  the  most  common,  being 
involved in the activities of 73% of the suppliers. A significant share 
of  firms  also  handles  other  semiconductor  compounds:  Silicon 
Carbide (Sic), Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) are 
used, respectively, by 22%, 21% and 18% of firms. A residual number 
of companies indicate other materials, such as Indium Phosphide (InP) 
at 13%, or Organic Semiconductor and Germanium (Ge) both at 9%. 

The semiconductors products 
supplied by the respondents 
find multiple applications in a 
range of economic activities. 

A large number of 
respondents are active in the 
manufacturing of computers, 
electronic and optical 
products. 

Respondents operate in all 
ranges of technology 
nodes, but activity is more 
concentrated around 
mature nodes.  

Not only Silicon - other 
semiconductor materials and 
compounds (e.g., SiC, GaN, 
GaAS, InP) are also relevant 
for the respondents for the 
many applications of the 
semiconductor chips. 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEY FINDINGS 

THE SURVEY 

•  Survey results provide a partial picture of the European 
semiconductors’  ecosystem.  The  collected  information 
is quite comprehensive for large European suppliers, but 
not representative for SMEs and end-user companies. 

•  Respondents 

represent  about  10%  of 

the  EU 
semiconductors  value  chain.  Netherlands, 
Ireland, 
Sweden  present  a  smaller  share  of  respondents 
compared  to  the  share  in  the  EU  supply  chain,  while 
companies  from  France,  Greece,  Spain,  Romania, 
Portugal participated more. 

TECHNOLOGY  
AND APPLICATIONS 

•  Only  29%  of  suppliers  have  to  do  with  cutting  edge 
nodes (they are equipment producers or chip designers). 
About half of the respondents work on mature nodes.  

•  Silicon  technology  is  the  most  mature  and  cost-
effective,  and  thus  the  most  used by  the  respondents 
(73%).  However,  other  semiconductor  materials  and 
compounds (e.g. Silicon Carbide, Gallium Nitride, Gallium 
Arsenide,  Indium  Phosphide)  are  also  of  relevance  for 
the respondents. 

•  Almost three-quarters of companies (72%) indicate that 
their  semiconductors  products  have  applications  in 
Manufacturing (including electronics sector).  

•  Other  popular  sectors  of  application  are:  Transport 
(including automotive) (57%), Space & Defence (53%), 
Health (50%) and Digital Infrastructure (43%).  

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
•  Less than one-third of respondents indicate applications 
in  further  areas,  such  as  Energy  (32%),  Public  Safety 
and Security (24%) and Banking (20%).  

•  Other  possible  fields  of  application  are  Construction, 
Water  Supply,  Financial  Markets  Infrastructures  and 
Public Administration (at less than 20%). 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Top output destinations. 
Share of companies 
indicating a destination 
market; average share of 
sales obtained from that 
market. Figures for large 
companies and SMEs. 

The majority of respondents 
supplies the EU27 market, 
North America and Other Asia 
follow in the ranking of 
output destinations.  

Large companies report 
higher sales in Other Asia 
than SMEs 

Table 2 - Products most frequently sold by surveyed companies 

Surveyed companies are 
present in several 
segments of the value 
chain. 

Among suppliers and 
designers of products in HS 
category 8542, 63% of 
respondents design or 
produce integrated circuits 
with node size between 
10nm and 90nm. 

Top 5 Product Families 

Product Category 
(HS 4-digit) 

1. Electronic integrated circuits; parts thereof 

2. Chemical elements and compounds doped  
for use in electronics 

3. Semiconductor devices 

4. Measuring or checking instruments 

5. Hydrogen, rare gases and other non-metals 

8542 

3818 

8541 

9031 

2804 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
. 

STRUCTURAL DEPENDENCIES 

OUTPUT DESTINATIONS 

Participants  in  the  survey  were  asked  to  list  the  share  of  revenues 
coming from the different geographical areas in 2021. The majority 
of  European  companies  in  the  value  chain  serves  the  EU  market, 
followed  by  North  America,  Other  Asia,  and  China  (see  Figure  9). 
Focusing on companies reporting positive sales in any of the possible 
destinations, we find that the EU27, with 53% of revenue, is the most 
important destination market. China (25%), North America (23%), and 
Other Asia (22%), follow in the ranking with similar numbers among 
them.  

Considering  the  size  of  responding  companies,  small  and  medium 
enterprises (SMEs) reported a higher share of revenue in the European 
market than large companies, which in turn obtain a higher share of 
revenues from Other Asia than SMEs. China and North America are 
almost  equally  relevant  for  the  two  groups  of  companies,  with  a 
slightly higher importance of these two destination markets for SMEs 
(see Figure 9).  

Companies  also  specified  the  Harmonized  System  (HS)  product 
categories5  to  which  their  output  belongs.  Focusing  on  the  top-5 
output categories, we observe that EU companies are supplying the 
various  markets  the  following  products:  i)  Electronic  integrated 
circuits  thereof  (HS  8542),  ii)  Chemical  elements  and  compounds 
doped for use in electronics (HS 3818), iii) Semiconductor devices (HS 
8541),  iv)  Measuring  and  checking  instruments  (HS  9031),  and  v) 
Hydrogen, rare gases and other non-metals (HS 2804) (see Table 2).  

EU  companies  producing  or  designing  electronic  integrated  circuits 
(HS 8542) mostly supply the market chips with node size in the 10-
90nm domain, while a minority of them (12%) are able to design or 
supply the market chips below 5 nm.  

5  The  HS  (Harmonized  System)  product  classification  is  the  international 
standard  for  product  descriptions  in  customs  declaration.  Data  on  product-
level  trade  flows  among  countries  is  available  from  Eurostat  -  Comext 
according to this classification. 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
 
Top input-sourcing markets. 
Share of respondents 
indicating an input origin 
market: average share of 
expenditure allocated to that 
market. Figures for both 
large companies and SMEs. 

The majority of respondents 
sources inputs from the EU27 
market, North America and 
Other Asia follow in the 
ranking of input origins. 

Table 3 - Top inputs and limited supply 

Top 5 Input Families: Limited 
Supply? 

1. Electronic integrated circuits 

2. Chemical elements and 
compounds 
3. Machines and apparatus for 
semiconductors 
4. Hydrogen, rare gases and other 
non-metals 
5. Semiconductor devices 

Product 
Category 
(HS 4-digit) 
8542 

3818 

Limited supply 

No 
8% 

4% 

Yes 
92% 

96% 

8486 

12% 

88% 

2804 

7% 

93% 

8541 

10% 

90% 

About 80% of companies 
indicated that their main 
inputs are in limited 
supply. 

Focusing on the top-5 
input categories, 
respondents state that: 

•  for 66% of products it 

is “not easy” 
•  for 17% it is “not 

possible”  

to find alternative 
suppliers. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
INPUT ORIGINS 

Respondents were also asked to report on the relative importance of 
the different geographical areas for their input sourcing (see Figure 
10). Most companies source inputs from the EU27 market (85%). On 
average, 55% of expenditure is devoted to inputs supplied by other 
EU27 companies. The second origin market for  inputs  employed by 
EU firms is North America, which supplies 67% of respondents for an 
average share of input expenditure equal to 30%. Other Asia, followed 
by  China  are  third  and  fourth  in  this  ranking.  Nevertheless,  it  is 
important to stress that almost one out of two EU companies receives 
inputs from Other Asia, while more than one out of three companies 
source inputs from China. 

Large companies and SMEs spend on inputs supplied by other EU27 
companies  comparable  shares  of  their  budget,  while  SMEs  spend 
more  on  inputs  supplied  by  Chinese  or  North  American  companies. 
Overall, a salient difference between the two groups of companies is 
that when sourcing from any geographical area SMEs tend to spend 
a larger share on inputs from a specific area than large firms. Overall, 
large  firms  seem  to  have  a  more  diversified  inputs  expenditure 
pattern across geographical areas (see Figure 10). 

Relying  on  information  provided  on  the  HS  categories  of  the  most 
frequently  demanded  inputs,  we  find  that  EU  companies  mostly 
source  from  their  suppliers  the  following  categories  of  products:  i) 
Electronic  integrated  circuits,  parts  thereof  (HS  8542),  ii)  Chemical 
elements and compounds doped for use in electronics (HS 3818), iii) 
Machines and apparatus for semiconductors (HS 8486), iv) Hydrogen, 
rare gases and other non-metals (HS 2804), v) Semiconductor devices 
(HS  8541)  (see  Table  3).  Noticeably,  since  they  are  involved  in  a 
highly  segmented  and  complex  value  chain,  interviewed  companies 
tend to source inputs which belong to the same trade category of the 
output they also supply to the market thus confirming the importance 
of intra-industry trade in this value chain. 

The majority of companies encountered difficulties in accessing the 
top-5 input categories in 2021 (see Table 3). Almost 80% of firms 
indicate that their main input has limited supply. Alternative suppliers 
are known and  available only in 15% of cases.  A sizeable share of 
companies  reported  that  it  was  “not  possible”  (17%)  or  “not  easy” 
(66%) to find alternative suppliers. 

For  those  who  indicated  other  inputs,  the  proportion  with  limited 
supply is still close to 80%, but alternative suppliers are more easily 
available (23% to 30% of cases). 

. 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEY FINDINGS 

GEOGRAPHICAL 
INTERDEPENDENCIES 

•  About  15%  of  the  respondents  have  headquarters 
outside of the EU. The integration of the EU in the global 
value  chain  is  further  confirmed  by  input  supply  and 
output sales.  

•  The  majority  (86%)  of  companies  supply  the  EU27 
market, which absorbs a large share of production (on 
average more than half of a company’s sales). 

•  About  2/3  of  respondents  export  to  North  America, 
although  on  average  only  23%  of  their  sales  are 
destined there.  

•  Smaller  proportions  of  companies  supply  the  other 
European  countries  not  in  the  EU  (39%),  China  (43%) 
and other Asian countries (52%). For such destinations, 
the  outflow  regards  less  than  1/4  of  the  companies’ 
sales. 

•  Most companies source their inputs in the EU27 (85%) 
or  North  America  (67%),  with  a  large  share  of  inputs 
coming  from  these  regions.  On  average,  companies 
importing from the EU tend to source about 55% of their 
inputs  from  there.  Instead,  inputs  from  North America 
amount to about 30% of a supplier’s needs. 

•  Almost  half  of 

input 
the  companies 
expenditure  from  Asia  (excluding  China)  (46%),  on 
average sourcing about 1/4 of their inputs from there. 

reported 

•  More than 1/3 of respondents (37%) source part of their 
inputs  from  China,  but  in  a  smaller  proportion  (on 
average 17% of their inputs). 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
•  Similar  figures  apply  to  inputs  sourced  in  other 
European  countries  (non-EU27):  33%  of  companies 
source  inputs  from  this  region  (on  average  12%  of 
inputs). 

•  Almost 80% of firms indicate that their main input has 
limited  supply.  Alternative  suppliers  are  known  and 
available only in 15% of cases. In the remaining cases 
alternatives  are  either  unknown,  not  available  or 
difficult to reach. 

•  For those who indicated other inputs, the proportion with 
limited  supply  is  still  close  to  80%,  but  alternative 
suppliers  are  more  easily  available  (23%  to  30%  of 
cases). 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Box II - Linking evidence on trade data with survey 
outcomes on inputs and outputs 

Trade data on EU imports 

Information on the most traded inputs and outputs collected through the 
survey can be linked to data on the EU27 imports and exports of products 
in  the  semiconductor  value  chain.  The  HS  6-digit  product  854231, 
“electronic integrated circuits as processors and controllers”, is the most 
imported product in the EU27, representing 29% of total imports in the 
value chain. Another final product of the production chain follows in the 
ranking  of  most  imported  products  accounting  for  16%  of  imports: 
“electronic integrated circuits (excluding such as processors, controllers, 
memories  and  amplifiers)”.  China,  Malaysia,  and  Taiwan  are  the  trade 
partners from which the EU27 sources the largest amount of imports of 
integrated circuits. Noticeably, three out of five products in this list 
belong to two product categories flagged by respondents to our 
survey as their most important inputs (HS 8541 and HS 8542) (See 
Table B1). 

Table B 1 - Top 5 imported products in the value chain. Ranked 
by cumulative sum of trade values (in Th. euros) in 2021. 

HS 6-
digit 
product 
code 

854231 

854239 

854140 

842139 

852351 

Product Description 

Type of 
product 

Share*  

Top 3 
partners**  

electronic integrated circuits as 
processors and 
controllers, whether or 
not combined with memories, 
converters, logic circuits, 
amplifiers, clock and timing 
circuits, or other circuits 

electronic integrated circuits (excl. 
such as processors, controllers, 
memories and amplifiers) 

photosensitive semiconductor 
devices, incl. photovoltaic 
cells whether or not assembled in 
modules or made up into 
panels; light emitting diodes (excl. 
photovoltaic generators) 
machinery and apparatus for 
filtering or purifying gases 
(excl. isotope separators and intake 
air filters for internal 
combustion engines) 
solid-state, non-volatile data 
storage devices for recording 
data from an external source 
[flash memory cards or flash 
electronic storage cards] (excl. 
goods of chapter 37) 

Final 
Product 

29% 

Malaysia (25%) 
China (15%) 
Taiwan (14%) 

Final 
Product 

16% 

Final 
Product 

16% 

Equipment  5% 

Final 
Product 

5% 

Taiwan (23%) 
Malaysia (16%) 
China (12%) 

China (83%) 
Malaysia (4%) 
Japan (4%) 

South Africa 
(42%) 
UK (18%) 
China (14%) 

South Korea 
(29%) 
China (28%) 
Taiwan (15%) 

Source: JRC Elaboration 
based on Comext – 
Eurostat Data. 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Focusing on data for products traded along the different segments of the 
value chain, we find that EU27 member states import 27% of products in 
this  production  chain  from  China  and  Hong  Kong,  followed  by  the  US, 
Taiwan, and Malaysia, all equally representing 12% of imports. Looking 
at the features of imported products (Figures B1 and B2), we find that 
EU27 mostly imports products that are outputs of this production chain 
like  memories,  processors,  and  controllers.  This  group  of  products 
represents 75% of European imports. Equipment and inputs employed by 
foundries account for much smaller shares: 19% and 3%, respectively. 

Figure B 2 - Import shares, most important trade partners of EU27, 
2021 

Figure B 1 - Shares of imports for products in different segments of 
the chain, 2021 

Source: JRC 
elaborations based on 
Comext – Eurostat Data.  

Note: HS 6-digits 
products are assigned 
to different segments 
of the value chain 
following OECD (2019).  

RoW stands for “Rest of 
the World”. 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Box III - Linking evidence on trade data with survey 
outcomes on inputs and outputs 

Trade data on EU exports 

Table B 2 - Top 5 exported products in the value chain. Ranked by 
cumulative sum of trade values (in Th. euros) in 2021. 

HS 6-digit 
product 
code 

854231 

848620 

854239 

842139 

848690 

Product Description 

Type of 
product 

Share*  

Top 3 
partners** 

electronic integrated circuits as 
processors and controllers, whether or 
not combined with memories, 
converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, 
clock and timing circuits, or other 
circuits 
machines and apparatus for the 
manufacture of semiconductor 
devices or of electronic integrated 
circuits 

Final 
Product 

23% 

Equipment  21% 

electronic integrated circuits (excl. 
such as processors, controllers, 
memories and amplifiers) 

Final 
Product 

9% 

machinery and apparatus for filtering 
or purifying gases (excl. isotope 
separators and intake air filters for 
internal combustion engines) 

parts and accessories for machines 
and apparatus of a kind used solely or 
principally for the manufacture 
of semiconductor boules or wafers. 

Equipment  6% 

Equipment  5% 

China (45%) 
USA (14%) 
Taiwan (5%) 

Taiwan (42%) 
South 
Korea (32%) 
China (18%) 
Malaysia 
(12%) 
China (11%) 
 Taiwan (9%) 

USA (23%)  
UK (16%) 
China (14%) 

Taiwan (35%)  
USA (26%) 
South Korea 
(20%) 

Source: JRC Elaboration 
based on Comext – 
Eurostat Data. 

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Export shares, most important trade partners of EU27, 

2021

15%

26%

4%

5%

10%

15%

13%

China & Hong Kong

Taiwan

USA

South Korea

United Kingdom

Singapore

Malaysia

Russia

Switzerland

Japan

RoW

Source: JRC 
elaborations based on 
Comext – Eurostat Data.  

RoW stands for “Rest of 
the World”. 

Shares of exports for products in different segments of 

the chain, 2021 

Equipment

Foundry Inputs

Inputs for Wafers

Raw Materials

Final Products

Silicon Wafers

2%

44%

48%

4%

29 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MARKET INTELLIGENCE 

OUTPUT DISRUPTIONS 

Firms  were  asked  to  assess  the  current  and  future  state  of  the 
semiconductors market compared to 2021, according to their most 
recent  data,  in  terms  of  output  disruptions.  In  order  to  understand 
whether  they  underwent  a  period  of  stress  and  struggled  to  meet 
demand,  respondents  had  to  evaluate  three  variables/indicators 
traditionally used in the semiconductor industry: the book-to-bill ratio, 
lead time and inventories. 

As illustrated in Figure 11, 60% of the large respondents estimated 
that the book-to-bill ratio – which is the ratio of orders received to 
units  shipped  and  billed  for  a  specified  period6  -  has  increased  as 
compared  to  2021  hinting  at  a  mismatch  between  demand  and 
supply,  while  only  23%  report  a  decrease  and  for  17%  of  the 
respondents the book-to-bill remained unchanged7.  

Half of the large firms in the sample reported that lead times – which 
is the time between the order arrives and the product is delivered – 
have risen; 27% of the respondents estimate that lead times did not 
change, while for 23% they decreased within the last year.  

With respect to the third indicator output inventories - which are 
the  finished  goods  held  by  a  company  during  its  normal  course  of 
business – there is no clear-cut evidence emerging from the survey’s 
results:  one-third  of  the  respondents  believe  that  the  level  of  their 
inventories  has  increased,  for  one-third  it  has  decreased,  and  the 
remaining one-third declare that it remained constant.   

The majority of the large 
respondents estimated that 
the book-to-bill ratio and the 
lead times have increased 
hinting at a mismatch 
between demand and supply. 

6  The  book-to-bill  ratio  is  widely  used  in  the  semiconductor  industry,  where  it  is 
considered an important indicator of demand trends. A ratio equal to 1 means a 
company is meeting its customer's demand in a timely manner. A book-to-bill ratio 
above  one  means  that  more  orders  were  received  than  filled,  indicating  strong 
demand or increased efficiency in  processing and executing orders.  On the other 
hand, a book-to-bill ratio smaller than 1 means an over-production in the considered 
period, which may lead to an increase in inventories. 
7  Companies  provided  scores  from  1  (increased  substantially)  to  5  (decreased 
substantially). For the purpose of results reporting, the scores “increase (decrease) 
substantially”  and  “slightly  increased  (decreased)”  have  been  grouped  into 
“increase” (“decrease”). 

31 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
 
 
 
Figure 11 - Output stress measures, demand and capacity utilization for 
large firms 

Perception of the 
current/future state of 
the semiconductors 
market compared to 
2021. 

The large majority of 
respondents reports 
stress in the recent past 
and foresees stress also 
in the near future, in line 
with world trend 

Figure 12 - Main causes of output disruptions for large firms 

For 63% of the large firms, 
the main causes of output 
disruptions are delays in 
deliveries and 
macroeconomic factors, while 
53% of the respondents 
identified as main culprit the 
increasing prices 

32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Focusing  on  output  disruption  for  SMEs,  the  picture  is  partially 
different for some of the indicators described above: 46% of these 
firms stated that the book-to-bill ratio did not change with respect to 
the previous year, 53% estimated their inventories to have remained 
the  same,  and  only  31%  report  their  capacity  utilization  to  stand 
above 95%. 

The survey results bring 
evidence of the difficulties 
firms encountered in keeping 
up with the needs of their 
customers.  

To complement the picture on possible disruptions on the output-side, 
information on past and future orders and capacity utilization rate is 
analysed. Figure 11 shows that 73% of the respondents believe there 
has been an increment of the orders received, and 63% expect them 
to  grow  also  in  the  upcoming  twelve  months.  Only  17%  of 
respondents state that the orders for their outputs have diminished 
and for 10% they did not change with respect to 2021.  

Similarly,  for  future  orders,  20%  of  the  respondents  expect  a 
reduction  and  17%  foresee  no  change  at  all  in  the  next  twelve 
months.  When  asked  to  estimate  their  capacity  utilisation  rate, 
71% of large firms replied that it currently stands at above 95%. The 
number  is  considerably  lower  when  we  consider  SMEs:  only  31% 
report that it is standing at a capacity utilization of above 95%.  

Overall,  it  is  possible  to  interpret  these  figures  as  evidence  of  the 
difficulties firms encountered in keeping up with the needs of their 
customers. Currently, 83% of the large firms stated that there have 
been  factors  outside  their  control  affecting  their  ability  to  deliver 
outputs within the last year. 

CAUSES AND MITIGATING MEASURES  

When  asked  to  identify  the  main  causes  behind  these  disruptions, 
63% of the large firms pointed at delays in deliveries and the same 
percentage  indicated  macroeconomic  factors,  while  53%  of  the 
respondents  identified  as  main  culprit  the  increasing  prices  (see 
Figure 12).   

Almost half of the respondents recognized logistic issues and war or 
conflicts as the main reasons for the bottlenecks.  

83% of the large firms stated 
that there have been factors 
outside their control affecting 
their ability to deliver outputs 
within the last year. 

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Figure 13 - Main mitigating measures adopted by large firms 
(output side) 

The main mitigating 
measures for large firms on 
the output side consisted in 
setting up new risk-related 
procedures such as periodic 
reviews or specific risk 
management plans.  

Figure 14 - Indicators to detect the presence of bottlenecks in input sourcing 

The decrease in availability 
of key inputs and their 
relative inventories, together 
with an increase of delivery 
times for these inputs, 
indicate the existence of 
bottlenecks in the supply 

34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Once hit  by  these disruptions, large companies adopted a series of 
mitigating  measures:  50%  set  up  periodic  delivery  risk  reviews, 
47%  implemented  risk  management  plans  and  40%  decided  to 
involve their partners in the risk planning as depicted in Figure 13. 

In terms of mitigation and adaptation measures put in place, SMEs 
slightly  differed  in  their  reaction:  33%  opted  for  searching  other 
customers instead of their current ones, 30% made strategic changes 
in their sales strategy and 29% chose to involve their partners in the 
risk planning, as it was for larger firms.  

Moreover,  80%  of  large  respondents  witnessed  changes  in  the 
procurement and other practices followed by their customers and/or 
customers’ customers to avoid future shortages, while only 46% of 
the SMEs reported this adjustment in practice. 

INPUT DISRUPTIONS  

Firms  were  asked  to  assess  the  current  and  future  state  of  the 
semiconductors market as compared to 2021, according to their most 
recent  data,  in  terms  of  disruptions  on  the  input  side.  As  shown  in 
Figure  14,  57%  of  the  large  respondents  estimated  that  the 
availability  of  their  key  inputs  decreased  compared  to  2021 
potentially harming their production processes.  

Moreover, for 83% of the large firms delivery times of key inputs 
grew  with  respect  to  the  previous  year.  These  answers  are  clear 
evidence that inputs are difficult to obtain. It is quite straightforward 
to also witness a reduction in inventories for 43% of the respondents 
among large firms. For the SMEs, the only variable that significantly 
changed with respect to 2021 is the delivery time of key inputs, which 
increased for 57% of the firms. 

In  line  with  previous  results,  85%  of  large  firms  reported  that 
shortages of inputs were affecting their production capacity in the 
current  year.  Shortages  were  not  affecting  all  inputs  to  the  same 
extent  (see  Figure  15,  next  page):  57%  of  the  respondents 
indicated  equipment,  which  includes  machines  and  components 
employed  in  the  fabrication,  inspection,  packaging,  assembly  and 
testing of semiconductors, while 37% of the firms had complications 
in  sourcing  chemicals  and  gases.  These  two  categories  of  inputs 
represent a cause of concern also for the 12-24 upcoming months, 
along with energy, which could be subject to a shortage for 43% of 
the respondents.  

SMEs reacted to the 
shortages mainly searching 
for new suppliers, changing 
their sales strategy and 
involving their partners in the 
risk planning. 

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 15 - Current and future shortages by product type 

For 57% of the large 
firms, the main causes of 
input disruptions have 
been delays in deliveries. 
40% indicated 
macroeconomic factors 
or other logistic issues as 
the main culprits. 

Figure 16 - Main causes of input disruptions for large firms 

85% of large firms 
reported that shortages 
of inputs were affecting 
their production capacity 
in the current year, 
especially for 
equipment. 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  bottlenecks  were  mainly  caused  by  delays  in  deliveries  (for 
57%  of  the  respondents),  followed  by  macroeconomic  factors 
(40%) and other logistic issues (40%) as shown in Figure 16. it is 
worth highlighting that 37% of the large firms also indicated war or 
conflict as major cause behind the shortages. 

Figure  17  illustrates  the  most  popular  mitigating  measures  the 
companies  adopted  to  ensure  the  sourcing  of  their  inputs.  They 
resemble to a large extent those picked to address problems on the 
output  side: 53% of the respondents opted for  periodic forecast of 
supply  chain,  50%  implemented  change  in  their  risk  management 
plans and 47% set up periodic delivery risk reviews.  For SMEs, the 
most  prominent  measure  has  been  to  diversify  the  supplier  base 
(32%  of  the  respondents)  followed  by  the  back-up  of  supplier  list 
(26% of firms). 

While 83% of the large firms are considering or already carrying out 
initiatives  to  mitigate  semiconductor  products'  sourcing  difficulties, 
this is true only for 57% of the surveyed SMEs. 

Mitigating measures on the 
input side resemble those 
adopted for companies’ 
output: introduction of risk 
management plans and 
periodic risk reviews. 

Figure 17 -  Main mitigating measures adopted by large firms (input side) 

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEY FINDINGS 

SHORTAGES, 
CHOKEPOINTS  
AND SUPPLY CHAIN 
DISRUPTIONS  

•  Most respondents report some kind of chain disruption 
in  the  current  year,  although  the  impact  is  more 
widespread across the large players. 

•  About 60% of respondents indicate input shortages, but 
for large companies this proportion goes up to 85%. 

• 

In  order  to  mitigate  sourcing  difficulties,  64%  of 
they  are  carrying  out  or 
respondents 
considering new measures (83% for large firms). 

indicate 

•  Roughly 71% of firms had difficulties in output delivery 
(83% for large companies), and more than half (55%) 
witness changes in clients’ procurement behaviour (80% 
of large enterprises).  

•  Responses  show  clear  evidence  that  the  inputs  are 
difficult  to  obtain  in  time  and  availability:  57%  of  the 
respondents  pointed  at  shortages  in  equipment,  while 
37% of the firms had trouble in sourcing chemicals and 
gases. 

•  The vast majority of large suppliers (85%) reported that 
shortages  of  inputs  are  affecting  their  production, 
resulting in increased lead time, pressure on inventories 
and delays in delivering output. 

•  73%  of  the  respondents  believe  there  has  been  an 

increment in the orders received.  

•  For 71% of large firms, the rate of capacity utilisation 

currently stands at above 95%. 

38 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FUTURE OUTLOOK 

KEY FINDINGS 

•  Future  shortage  of  energy  seems  to  worry  43%  of 
suppliers.  Moreover,  63%  expect  shortages 
in 
equipment to persist also in the near future, while 47% 
foresee trouble in sourcing chemicals and gases in the 
next 12-24 months.  

•  Large  supplier  companies  expect  soon  an  increase  in 
demand.  Specifically,  63%  believe  orders  will  grow  in 
the next 12 months (validated by the end users survey 
as well). 

•  Almost all end-user companies reported issues sourcing 
inputs. More than 60% reported shortages linked with 
Silicon semiconductors and they are expecting them to 
persist for the next 12-24 months. 

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Box IV - Disruptions and bottlenecks at global scale 

The  current  situation  of  the  global  semiconductor  supply  chain  can  be 
appraised  by  looking  at  company  level  data  such  as  orders  of  chips, 
production levels (i.e., the capacity utilization of the foundries), inventories 
level,  and  the  book-to-bill  ratio.  The  book-to-bill  ratio  is  a  common 
indicator for measuring supply and demand pressure. It is widely used in 
the technology sector, and especially in the semiconductor industry, as an 
important indicator for forecasting the demand trends.  
In  2021  and  the  first  half  of  2022,  the  strong  demand  of  electronic 
products  triggered  by  the  pandemic  and  the  green  transition  led  to  an 
increase  of  the  order  of  chips  (Figure  B5).  As  a  result  the  book-to-bill 
ratio  for  both  chips  and  equipment  raised  above  1  in  the  same  period 
(Figure B6).  

Figure B 6 - Global orders of integrated circuits in the electronic 
supply chain. 

Orders, 3 months average

Source: JRC graphical 
elaboration on 
TechInsights data, 
downloaded 
08/02/2023.  

The green section 
corresponds to the 
survey period. 

n
b
$

55.0

50.0

45.0

40.0

35.0

30.0

25.0

20.0

B
E
F

R
A
M

R
P
A

Y
A
M

N
U
J

L
U
J

G
U
A

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P
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S

T
C
O

V
O
N

C
E
D

1
2
-
N
A
J

2
2
-
N
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3
2
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C
E
D

Figure B 5 - Book-to-bill ratio for the global semiconductor industry 

Book to Bill ratio (3 months average)

1.6

1.5

1.4

1.3

1.2

1.1

1.0

0.9

0.8

Equipment

Chips

B
E
F

R
A
M

R
P
A

Y
A
M

N
U
J

L
U
J

G
U
A

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S

T
C
O

V
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N

C
E
D

B
E
F

R
A
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P
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A

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C
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D

T
C
O

T
P
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S

B
E
F

R
A
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P
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C
E
D

1
2
-
N
A
J

2
2
-
N
A
J

3
2
-
N
A
J

Source: JRC graphical 
elaboration on 
TechInsights data, 
downloaded 
08/02/2023.  

The green section 
corresponds to the 
survey period. 

40 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Moreover,  disruptions  in  the  supply  chain  during  the  pandemic  forced 
companies to increase inventories (Figure B7 trying to prevent additional 
disruptions.  The  high demand pressure  along 2021 has driven  capacity 
utilization close to 100%  and promoted  investments  in  a new capacity 
(Figure B8). In 2022 production increased  only by 0.9% constrained by 
full  utilization  of  existing  plants,  while  the  new  investments  enabled  a 
capacity increase by 5.1%*.  
In the last part of 2022, the inflationary pressure slowed down the global 
chip demand, weakening the pressure on companies and bringing down 
to  1  the  book-to-bill  ratio.  The  combined  effect  of  demand  drop  and 
capacity increase led to a decreased capacity utilization, which even so 
remained above 85% for the entire period. In 2023, demand prospects 
are on the rise as shown by forecasted orders (Fig. B5), with the expected 
global  book-to-bill  ratio  steadily  above  1.  The  capacity  utilization  is 
projected to reverse the previous trend, increasing to 90% in 2023Q3. 

Figure B 8 - Global inventories of integrated circuits in the electronic 
supply chain. 

Inventories, 3 months average

n
b
$

80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40

B
E
F

R
A
M

R
P
A

Y
A
M

N
U
J

L
U
J

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A

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S

T
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D

N
A
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1
2

B
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F

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T
C
O

V
O
N

C
E
D

n
a
J
-
2
2

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N
A
J
3
2

Figure B 7 - Global capacity utilization in the front-end 

Capacity utilisation front end (%) 

110

105

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

B
E
F

R
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1
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2
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3
2
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S

T
C
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V
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N

C
E
D

* TechInsights, The Chip Insider's Graphics File, January 2023. 

Source: JRC elaboration 
on TechInsights data, 
downloaded 
08/02/2023.  

The green section 
corresponds to the first 
survey period. 

Source: JRC graphical 
elaboration on 
TechInsights data, 
downloaded 
08/02/2023.  

The green section 
corresponds to the 
survey period. 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 19 - Distribution by Member State 

Location of the 
respondents in the 
EU 

Figure 18 - Composition by age group 

More than one-third of the 
respondents are mature 
companies founded over 50 
years ago. 

42 

Oldest respondents 
date back to the 
beginning of the 
XIX century 

 
 
 
 
ENDUSERS SURVEY 

OVERVIEW 

The objective of the end-users’ consultation was to collect additional 
information on companies that use semiconductor products as inputs 
in their production processes, to identify market-specific bottlenecks 
and possible mitigating measures. 

Participation  in  the  end-users’  consultation  was  voluntary.  The 
consultation was advertised at EU level through industry associations, 
who invited their members to take part into the survey. A total of 39 
respondents registered in 19 different EU Member States responded 
to the survey.  Due to  the low participation rate, the survey results 
should  be  considered  as  a  small  glance  into  the  EU  world  of 
semiconductors’ end-users, and should not be extended or interpreted 
as representative of the whole ecosystem. 

As illustrated in Figure 18, respondents were mainly  from Germany, 
Spain,  Poland,  Greece,  France,  and  The  Netherlands.  About  36%  of 
respondents  were  Small  or  Medium  Enterprises  (SMEs)  with  the 
remaining share consisting in large companies. The size classification 
was  based  on  the  information  provided  by  the  company  itself 
regarding  the  number  of  employees  and  the  turnover  in  the  year 
before the survey (2021). Of the large companies, 96% report more 
than 250 employees, while 88% indicate a turnover above 50 million 
euros in the previous year. 

Around 37% of the respondents are mature companies founded more 
than  50  years  ago,  with  the  oldest  ones  even  dating  back  to  the 
beginning  of  the  XIX  century.  About  8%  of  participating  firms  are 
between 26 and 50 years old, while another 8% have been active for 
less  than  25  but  more  than  11  years.  The  two  groups  of  younger 
participants consist of companies founded between 6 and 10 years 
ago (12%), and less than 5 years ago (15%). Figure 19 summaries 
the composition of the sample by age. 

The main countries 
participating in the sample 
are Germany, Spain, Poland, 
Greece, France and The 
Netherlands. 

Most of the companies in the 
sample were large 
companies with more than 
50 years of activity 

43 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 20 -  Main sectors of application of outputs 

The respondents operate 
in a variety of economic 
sectors.  

Table 4 - Distribution of sales worldwide by region 

Most companies (97%) 
supply the EU27 market, 
which absorbs a large share 
of their production. 

Destination of 
sales 

% Respondents 

% Sales 
(average) 

EU27 

Other EU 

Africa 

Middle East 

China 

Other Asia 

North America 

South America 

97 

56 

34 

44 

41 

59 

63 

44 

57 

13 

4 

9 

13 

12 

24 

11 

44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OUTPUTS DESTINATIONS 

This  section  describes  the  information  on  the  type  of  products, 
supplied by the respondents, which use semiconductors either directly 
or  as  intermediate  inputs.  Results  also  include  their  sector  of 
application and their geographical destination.  

When asked to list the top-3 products or families of products (in terms 
of  sales  or  volume)  supplied  by  the  company,  the  most  frequent 
answer  was  “telephone  sets,  including  smartphones  and  other 
telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks” (HS-
Code 8517). Other cited products were “Electrical transformers, static 
converters  and  inductors”  (HS-Code  8504)  and  “Instruments  and 
appliances  used  in  medical,  surgical,  dental  or  veterinary  sciences” 
(HS-Code 9018). 

Figure 20 displays the industries in which the top-3 items or product 
(33%),  and 
groups  are  used.  Manufacturing 
Transportation  (28%)  were  the  most  frequent,  followed  by  Digital 
Infrastructure and Energy with a share of 26% each.  

(46%),  Health 

Table  4  reports  the  approximate  percentage  distribution  of  the 
company's annual sales by geographical area in 2021. The primary 
finding from this perspective is that most businesses (97%) supply 
the EU27 market, which attracts a significant portion of their output 
(57%).  The  second  market  is  North  America,  where  63%  of  the 
respondents  sell  their  products,  with  an  average  flow  of  24%  of 
production.  An  average  share  of  13%  of  sales  is  supplied  to  other 
European countries by about half of the respondents (56%). Finally, 
China and Other Asian countries are mentioned by 41% and 59% of 
the respondents as destinations of their sales, respectively. China has 
an average share of 13% while Other Asia of 12%.  

In 2021, for a large proportion of firms (46%) the turnover for the 
top-3  products  was  more  than  50  million  euros.  However,  another 
large share of respondents (23%) reported a very low turnover figure 
of equal to or less than 2 million euros. 

The main outputs produced 
by participating companies 
include Telephone sets, 
Electrical Transformers and 
Instruments/Appliances used 
in medical or vet. sciences. 

Most companies supply the 
EU27 market, which absorbs 
a large share of their 
production. 

The majority of respondents 
report a turnover above 50 
million euros for 2021 
related with the top-3 
products or families of 
products. 

45 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 5 - Distribution of purchases worldwide by region 

The share of inputs 
expenditure is more 
distributed worldwide 
and less concentrated 
in EU27 than output 
sales. 

Origin of input 
expenditure 

% Respondents 

% Expenditure 
(average) 

EU27 
Other EU 
Africa 
Middle East 
China 
Other Asia 
North America 
South America 

91 
28 
16 
22 
56 
72 
75 
19 

36 
5 
1 
14 
28 
33 
29 
8 

Table 6 - Most demanded inputs and limited supply 

The large majority of 
respondents reports a 
restricted number of 
suppliers of their main 
inputs. 

Top 5 Input Families 

Product 
Category 
(HS 4-digit) 

1. Electronic integrated circuits 

2. Semiconductor devices 

3. Parts suitable for use with the 
headings 8524 to 8528 
4. Electrical transformers, static converters 
and inductors 

5. Telephone sets, including smartphones 

8542 

8541 

8529 

8504 

8517 

46 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
INPUTS ORIGINS 

This  section  examines  the  answers  related  to  the  type  and 
geographical  origin  of  the  inputs  that  are  used  in  the  production 
process  of  end-users’  companies,  excluding  financial  and  labour 
inputs. 

Table 5 shows the percentage distribution of input spending to tier-1 
suppliers (connected to semiconductor products) by geographic area 
in 2021. As shown in the figure, the distribution of inputs expenditure 
is scattered worldwide and less concentrated in EU27 as compared to 
output sales. Almost all respondents (91%) source part of their inputs 
from within the EU27, but as previously indicated disparities in shares 
are not as obvious as in the case of outputs. For example, suppliers 
from  other  Asian  countries  have  a  similar  share  of  expenditure  of 
inputs as countries from EU27.  

When asked to list the top-5 inputs or families of inputs used in the 
production (related to semiconductor products), the most demanded 
family of products was “Electronic integrated circuits” (HS Code 8542), 
followed  by  “Semiconductor  devices”  (HS  Code  8541)  and  “Parts 
suitable  for  use  with  the  headings  8524  to  8528”  (HS  Code 8529) 
(see Table 6). 

Regarding  the  main  input  picked  by  each  firm,  87%  of  the  sample 
stated that there is a restricted number of suppliers. This percentage 
reduces  to  80%  on  average  when  considering  secondary  inputs. 
Furthermore,  72%  of  the  respondents  stressed  the  difficulty  of 
finding  alternative  suppliers  for  their  main  input  (65%  on  average 
when considering additional inputs). When asking about the location 
of the current supplier for their main input, most respondents cited 
North  America  (56%),  while  the  EU27  takes  the  second  place  with 
51%.  This  is  reverted  when  asking  about  the  location  of  potential 
substitute suppliers for their main input: the EU27 takes the lead with 
59%  of  the  sample  indicating  that  there  are  alternative  suppliers 
inside the EU27. 

The main inputs used by 
participating companies 
include Electronic integrated 
circuits and Semiconductor 
devices. 

87% of the sample reports 
that there is a limited number 
of suppliers for their main 
input 

47 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 21 - Bottlenecks by compound and technology 

Most companies experienced 
in 2021 factors outside their 
control affecting input 
sourcing related to 
semiconductor products. 

Figure 22 - Main causes for shortages of inputs 

Other causes include 
Macroeconomic factors and 
Unavailability of inputs 

48 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BOTTLENECKS AND SHORTAGES 

The vast majority of end-users (95%) claimed that there are factors 
outside their control that are affecting their ability to source inputs 
related to semiconductor products. As shown in Figure 21, the most 
frequent  shortages  of  inputs  are  related  to  Silicon  (Si)  compound 
(64%),  and  inputs  based  on  90 nm  and  180 nm  technology  nodes 
(44%).  Other  relevant  results  are  shortages  of  Silicon  carbide  (SiC) 
compound  (26%).  Additionally,  inputs  linked  with  more  advanced 
technology  nodes,  5 nm  and  45 nm,  presented  shortages  in  the 
previous year for 33% of the sample. The aforementioned shortages 
constrained  production  for  the  majority  of  the  companies  (71%). 
Consistently,  companies  expect  in  similar  proportions  further  major 
shortages, in the next 12-24 months, of inputs linked to the previously 
mentioned compounds or technology nodes. 

Regarding  the  main  causes  of  these  shortages,  respondents  could 
select multiple options. The most frequent causes, as shown in Figure 
22,  were  delays  in  deliveries,  indicated  by  more  than  74%  of 
respondents,  followed  by  increasing  prices  (56%)  and  very  closely 
logistic issues with 54%. Other causes selected were macroeconomic 
factors  and  unavailability  of  inputs,  both  indicated  by  50%  of  the 
respondents.  

Respondents  were  also  asked  to  indicate  potential  mitigating 
measures.  As  illustrated  in  Figure  23,  the  most  frequent  answers 
were  changes  to  the  products  and  sourcing  diversification  (both 
representing  about  54%  of  responses),  followed  by  changes  in  the 
order placement practice with 49%. Other contributions were periodic 
forecasts  of  supply  chain,  risk  management,  the  set-up  of  periodic 
supply chain risk reviews, and a backup suppliers’ list. 

Finally, 74% of respondents claimed that the company is considering 
or  carrying  out  new  initiatives  to  mitigate  semiconductor  products' 
sourcing difficulties, providing an optimistic perspective on the issues 
faced by the industry in the previous year. 

The main cause of 
shortages/bottlenecks 
experienced in the previous 
year was delay in deliveries. 

Most of the companies 
changed their products 
and/or diversified the supplier 
base as mitigating measures 
for the shortages in 2021. 

The majority of companies 
carried out or plan to carry 
out new measures to 
mitigate semiconductor 
products' sourcing difficulties. 

49 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 23 - Mitigating measures 

Other measures include 

Periodic forecast of 
supply chain  

Risk management 

Set up of periodic supply 
chain risk reviews 

Figure 24 - Variation between 2021 and 2022 in the market 

Most respondents 
report an order 
increase compared to 
the previous year, and 
expect this trend to 
continue in the next 
12 months. 

50 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MARKET INTELLIGENCE 

In the final section of the survey, companies were asked about their 
perception  of  the  current  state  of  the  semiconductors  market 
compared to 2021. Companies provided a qualification for a set of 
questions  from  1 
(decreased 
substantially). Considering the small size of the sample, the distinction 
between  increase  (decrease)  substantially  and  slightly  increased 
(decreased) has been grouped in “increase” (“decrease”) for an easy 
comparison across questions. 

(increased  substantially)  to  5 

The majority of respondents (44%) declared that the availability of 
the main inputs decreased as compared to 2021 (Figure 24).  

Regarding the inventories of the main input companies need for their 
production,  results  are  ambiguous  since  the  same  number  of 
respondents  said  that  it  has  increased/decreased  with  respect  to 
2021 (38%), while for 23% the variable has not changed. 

As for the estimation on the orders placed for the main input products 
the company needs for its production, the vast majority (77%) agree 
that  they  had  increased  with  respect  to  2021.  Results  are  also 
conclusive when asked for the estimation on the orders to be placed 
in  the  next  12  months  for  the  main  input  products,  where  74% 
claimed that they will increase with respect to the current year. 

Finally,  respondents  provided  insight  on  the  estimation  on  the  lead 
time (as the time between the order and the delivery of the inputs): a 
vast majority of respondents (79%) agree that the lead time for the 
main input products has increased compared to 2021. 

Most companies agree that 
the orders placed (and orders 
to be placed in the following 
year) for the main input 
products increased with 
respect to the previous year. 

Most respondents claim that 
the lead time for the main 
input products has increased 
compared to 2021 

51 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEY FINDINGS 

THE SURVEY 

•  Survey results provide a partial picture of the European 
semiconductors’  end-users  ecosystem.  The  collected 
information  is  scarce  and  not  representative  of  end-
users of semiconductors products. 

•  The  main  countries  participating  in  the  sample  are 
Germany,  Spain,  Poland,  Greece,  France  and  The 
Netherlands. 

INPUTS AND 
OUTPUTS 

•  The main outputs produced by participating companies 
include  telephone  sets,  electrical  transformers  and 
instruments/appliances  used  in  medical  or  veterinary 
sciences. 

•  Most companies supply the EU27 market, which absorbs 

a large share of their production. 

•  The  main  inputs  used  by  participating  companies 
include Electronic integrated circuits and Semiconductor 
devices. 

•  56% declare to buy inputs from North America, 59% are 
aware there could be alternative supplier in the EU.  

•  87%  of  the  sample  reports  that  there  is  a  limited 

number of suppliers for their main input. 

•  Most  companies  experienced  in  2021  factors  outside 
input  sourcing  related  to 
their  control  affecting 
semiconductor  products.  44%  of  respondents  declare 
shortages for mature nodes.  

•  Most respondents report an order increase compared to 
the  previous year  and  expect this  trend  to continue  in 
the next 12 months. 

SHORTAGES, 
CHOKEPOINTS  
AND SUPPLY CHAIN 
DISRUPTIONS  

52 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
QUALITATIVE RESPONSES 

To  better  grasp  the  stakeholders’  perceptions  on  supply  chain 
criticalities  and  depict  an  initial  qualitative  assessment  of  policy 
actions, respondents were asked to signal possible measures on how 
to support the semiconductor ecosystem to better overcome supply 
chain disruptions.  

A  specific  section  of  the  questionnaire  was  reserved  for  providing 
suggestions on helpful actions that governments and the European 
Commission could take to help address security of supply and possible 
disruptions.  

Many companies also made valuable suggestions in response to the 
other  open  question.  In  this  section,  companies’  responses  are 
grouped into broad topics and summarized. 

The  main  findings  fall  into  two  broad  categories.  First,  many 
stakeholders  have  called  for  strengthening  the  public  support 
initiatives  for  the  semiconductor  value  chain,  by  means  of  both 
financial  and  indirect  policy  instruments.  Respondents  made 
also valuable suggestions on how to improve the education of the 
workforce required by the semiconductor industry.  

Companies’ responses can 
be clustered into two 
categories: public support 
and education 

Finally,  stakeholders  stressed  also  the  importance  of  greater 
cooperation  between 
their 
understandings  of  key 
interdependencies  and  to  ensure  the 
transparency along the semiconductor supply chain. 

the  Member  States 

to  share 

53 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 25 - Wordcloud with most frequent terms 

This Wordcloud visualizes the most 
frequent terms from answers to Q49 of 
the suppliers’ questionnaire. 

They entail suggestions for helpful 
actions that governments and the 
European Commission could take to 
help address security of supply and 
possible disruptions. 

Figure 26 - Summary of the qualitative responses 

Summary of the 
qualitative responses to 
Q49 of the suppliers’ 
questionnaire. 

Public support 

Financial support to all segments (from R&D to manufacturing) 

Indirect support via e.g. reduced taxation, below-market interest 
rates for loans, slimmer administrative procedures, reduction in 
custom delays, stronger IP protection 

Education 

Promote graduation in STEM fields (e.g., engineers, IC designers) 
and assure a frictionless labour market 

Support advanced training for engineers and chip designers 

54 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PUBLIC SUPPORT  

Many of the suggested measures that this study has collected from 
the  survey  relate  to  the  broad  category  of  financial  incentives. 
Suggestions were to increase incentivizing schemes for all segments 
of the value chain, from R&D to manufacturing.  

the 

respondents  stressed 

importance  of  supporting 
Several 
investments and production through EU funds and subsidies with the 
purpose  of  not  only  developing  leading  edge  semiconductor 
technologies  but  also  building  up  mature  node  capacity.  This 
strategy  would  help  to  prevent  future  chokepoints  and  reduce 
dependence  from  Asia  in  industries  absorbing  most  of  the  mature 
node chips such as the automotive sector.  

Suggested financial measures include grants’ provision to expand 
and  modernize  existent  production  facilities  and  special  funding 
schemes for suppliers of key components and for developers of new 
manufacturing processes.  

Several  respondents  proposed  measures  aimed  at  supporting 
semiconductor-related  R&D  through  public  funding.  Easing  the 
access  to  pilot  lines  was  also  cited  as  relevant  support  for 
enhancing  IC  production,  typically  for  SMEs.  Some  respondents 
stressed the importance of securing a link between the R&D funding 
and the usage of EU manufacturing sites. 

industry,  as  well  as 

In the context of public intervention, companies cited other forms of 
indirect support. These include measures of financial support such as 
tax cuts that could lower production costs for firms operating in the 
semiconductor 
leaner  administrative 
procedures  and  bureaucracy  to  unlock  and  attract  private 
investments  in  European  companies.  The  provision  of  credit  at 
below-market  interest  rates  was  also  proposed  as  an  effective 
tool to stimulate capital investment and accumulation, especially for 
SMEs. Another topic mentioned is the importance for governments to 
promote a regulatory environment that can stimulate the innovation 
by means of stronger IP protection. 

to 

trade  policies,  some 

Related 
recommended 
reductions  in  tariff  barriers,  the  promotion  of  specific  trade 
agreements on semiconductors with key global partners, as well as 
administrative measures to reduce custom delays. 

respondents 

Respondents indicated 
investments in building up 
European production 
capacity as a top priority 

Grants, R&D funding, and 
access to pilot lines were all 
indicated as measures to 
sustain innovation and the 
modernization of existing 
plants 

Suggested measure of 
indirect support include tax 
cuts, eased credit access, 
reductions in tariff barriers, 
and stronger IP protection 

55 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The availability of skilled 
and qualified labour force is 
essential for the future 
development of the 
semiconductor ecosystem  

EDUCATION   

The  survey  showed  that  respondents  consider  interventions  for 
improving  the  availability  of  a  qualified  labour  force  as  a  key 
strategy to sustain the semiconductor ecosystem. 

This  resulted  in  responses  calling  for  prioritizing  investments  in 
education, specifically aiming at increasing the supply of graduates 
in  STEM  fields  such  as  engineers  and  IC  designers.  Respondents 
indicated  as  a  political  priority  not  only  education  in  research  and 
scientific  graduate  programmes,  but  also  in  advanced  training  for 
technical and industrial jobs. For example, skilled technicians are 
on high demand for production revival and risk to be under shortage 
pressures.  

The importance of assuring a frictionless and open labour market that 
attracts highly skilled talents from both inside and outside the EU 
was also indicated by respondents as a priority, along with promoting 
partnerships between universities and the industry (especially for PhD 
programs)  and  supporting  advanced  training  for  engineers,  chip 
designers and professionals belonging to the semiconductor industry. 

Figure 27 - Semiconductors’ workforce 

A researcher plants a 
semiconductor on an 
interface board. 

Source: REUTERS 

56 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEY FINDINGS 

•  Several  respondents  stressed  the 

importance  of 
supporting  investments  and  production  through  EU 
funds  and  subsidies  with  the  purpose  of  not  only 
developing  leading  edge  semiconductor  technologies 
but also building up mature node capacity.  

SUGGESTIONS FOR  
IMPROVEMENT 

•  This strategy would help to prevent future chokepoints 
and  reduce  the  dependence  from  Asia  in  industries 
absorbing  most  of  mature  node  chips  such  as  the 
automotive sector.  

•  The  survey  showed 

respondents  consider 
that 
interventions for improving the availability of qualified 
labour  force  as  a  key  strategy  to  sustain  the 
semiconductor ecosystem. 

•  Stakeholders  stressed  the 

importance  of  greater 
cooperation between the Member States to share their 
understandings of key interdependencies and to ensure 
the transparency along the semiconductor supply chain. 

57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONCLUSIONS 

Following the Commission Recommendation adopted as part of the 
EU Chips Act package, the purpose-built consultation on suppliers and 
end-users of semiconductors provided the European Commission with 
a first picture of the semiconductors EU value chain. Although 
the  survey  results  were  able  to  draw  only  a  partial  picture  of  the 
ecosystem  (they  were  not  representative  for  SMEs  and  end-users), 
they  were  comprehensive  for  large  producers,  providing  a  better 
understanding of key players in the supply chain. 

The  results  for  the  producers  enabled  the  Commission  and  the 
Member  States  to  better  identify  structural  weaknesses  of  the  EU 
value chain, highlighting geographical dependencies with various 
world regions – both in terms of products sold and of input sourced – 
and a clear integration of the EU in the worldwide value chain: 
looking at the suppliers’ survey, about one in seven respondents has 
headquarters outside the EU; two out of three producers declare they 
sell  output  to  North  America,  while  roughly  half  channel  output  to 
China  and  to  other  Asian  countries;  finally,  inputs  are  frequently 
sourced from North America, China, and other Asian countries. On the 
other hand, more than half of end-users declare to buy inputs from 
North  America,  but  the  large  majority  are  aware  there  could  be 
alternative  suppliers  in  the  EU.  This  can  be  seen  as  a  potential 
evidence that at the moment EU capacity is not able to satisfy 
EU demand. 

The  responses  to  the  two  surveys  helped  gain  an  in-depth 
understanding  of  the  risks  associated  with  the  value  chain  and 
provided some insight  on future shortages. Results show that EU 
producers have been under stress due to both logistics issues and 
macroeconomic factors. The stress is not likely to end in the near 
future  due 
the  macroeconomic  conditions. 
Unfortunately, not all companies are prepared for such change; in 
particular, SMEs indicate a still incomplete set of mitigating measures 
already in place. 

to  changes 

in 

Moreover, large supplier companies expect increased demand in 
the next 12 months (validated by the end users survey as well). This 
is in line with global trends. Some of the main survey respondents are 
in the equipment segment, and the increased demand is coherent with 
the  increased  capital  expenditure  of  main  foundries  that  are 
expanding production sites. However end-users demand is subject to 
macroeconomic  forecasts,  currently  not  very  rosy,  especially  for 
mobile phones, PCs and tablets. This may delay foundries’ and IDMs’ 
investments and back fire to equipment producers. 

58 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Concerns about inputs shortages for producers are related not 
only to the supply of raw materials, but also of equipment and energy. 
The great majority of large suppliers (80%) indicated that their main 
inputs are in limited supply. Moreover, 85% of large suppliers reported 
that  the  shortage  of  inputs  is  affecting  their  production, 
yielding an increased lead time, pressure on inventories, and delays 
in delivering output. The future outlook worries most suppliers 
too: 63% expects the shortage of equipment to be binding also in the 
near future, 47% expects lack of chemical and gasses in the next 12-
24 months, while future shortage of energy causes apprehension for 
43% of respondents.  

On the other hand, the majority of end-users declared shortages 
for  mature  nodes,  with  more  than  60%  reporting  lack  of  Silicon 
semiconductors.  These  are  expected  to  persist  for  the  next  12-24 
months.  Considering  that  only  29%  of  suppliers  reported  activity 
related to cutting edge nodes (they are equipment producers or chip 
designers), and that about half of the respondents work on mature 
nodes,  the  evidence  warns  that  mature  nodes  should  not  be 
disregarded to ensure the match between demand and supply. 

The  suggestions  for  EU  and  governments  actions  provided  by 
respondents mirror the renovated political emphasis on topics related 
to  matching  workforce  skills  with  job  market  opportunities.  In  the 
2022  State  of  the  Union  address    held  on  14  September  2022, 
President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to make 2023 the European 
Year of Skills and reiterated the importance to address the ongoing 
skills  shortage  experienced  by  European  companies  by  investing  in 
professional education and upskilling.  Considering  the American  job 
market, also the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, stated 
in a recent speech the need of boosting technical education and the 
related supply of skilled manufacturing workforce when talking about 
the challenges of the U.S. Chips Act.  

The two surveys composed an important but partial picture of the EU 
semiconductors value chain. There are still some gaps to be filled, 
in particular regarding the representation of smaller players and of 
end-users.  

In  addition,  the  identification  of  current  disruptions  and  future 
expectations  helped  frame  the  current  stress  level  of  the  EU 
value  chain,  but  other  instruments  should  be  used  to  help 
anticipate  future  shortages.  Various  alternatives  are  currently 
under study. These tools should be more flexible to allow for a timely 
evaluation of the value chain stress, and should form the basis of a 
thorough  monitoring  system  as  proposed  in  the  Chips  Act, 
including relevant early warning indicators.  

59 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LIST OF BOXES 

Box I - The functioning of the semiconductor supply chain .................. 10 
Box II - Linking evidence on trade data with survey outcomes on 
inputs and outputs ...................................................................................................... 26 
Box III - Linking evidence on trade data with survey outcomes on 
inputs and outputs ...................................................................................................... 28 
Box IV - Disruptions and bottlenecks at global scale ............................... 40 

60 

 
 
 
 
 
LIST OF FIGURES 

Figure 1 - A semiconductor device ....................................................................... 8 
Figure 2 - The Semiconductor Supply Chain ................................................. 10 
Figure 3 - Size of respondents ............................................................................. 12 
Figure 4 – Geographical origin: share of survey answers by country 
(vs share in the EU supply chain) ....................................................................... 12 
Figure 5 – Firms’ role and global reach .......................................................... 14 
Figure 6 – Position in the Value Chain – main segments  Share of 
survey respondents (vs share in the EU supply chain) ............................ 14 
Figure 7 – Sectors of application (% of respondents with applications 
in each sector) .............................................................................................................. 16 
Figure 8 – Technology nodes and segments ................................................ 16 
Figure 9 - Distribution of output sales across regions ............................ 20 
Figure 10 - Distribution of input expenditure across regions – main 
inputs. ................................................................................................................................ 22 
Figure 11 - Output stress measures, demand and capacity utilization 
for large firms .............................................................................................................. 32 
Figure 12 - Main causes of output disruptions for large firms .......... 32 
Figure 13 - Main mitigating measures adopted by large firms 
(output side) .................................................................................................................. 34 
Figure 14 - Indicators to detect the presence of bottlenecks in input 
sourcing ............................................................................................................................ 34 
Figure 15 - Current and future shortages by product type .................. 36 
Figure 16 - Main causes of input disruptions for large firms ............. 36 
Figure 17 -  Main mitigating measures adopted by large firms (input 
side) ................................................................................................................................... 37 
Figure 18 - Composition by age group ............................................................ 42 
Figure 19 - Distribution by Member State ..................................................... 42 
Figure 20 -  Main sectors of application of outputs ................................. 44 
Figure 21 - Bottlenecks by compound and technology .......................... 48 
Figure 22 - Main causes for shortages of inputs ....................................... 48 
Figure 23 - Mitigating measures ........................................................................ 50 
Figure 24 - Variation between 2021 and 2022 in the market ........... 50 
Figure 25 - Wordcloud with most frequent terms .................................... 54 
Figure 26 - Summary of the qualitative responses .................................. 54 
Figure 27 - Semiconductors’ workforce .......................................................... 56 
Figure B 1 - Import shares, most important trade partners of EU27, 
2021 .................................................................................................................................. 27 
Figure B 2 - Shares of imports for products in different segments of 
the chain, 2021 ............................................................................................................ 27 

61 

 
 
 
Figure B 3 - Shares of exports for products in different segments of 
the chain, 2021 ............................................................................................................ 29 
Figure B 4 -Export shares, most important trade partners of EU27, 
2021 ................................................................................................................................... 29 
Figure B 5 - Book-to-bill ratio for the global semiconductor industry
 .............................................................................................................................................. 40 
Figure B 6 - Global orders of integrated circuits in the electronic 
supply chain. ................................................................................................................... 40 
Figure B 8 - Global capacity utilization in the front-end......................... 41 
Figure B 7 - Global inventories of integrated circuits in the electronic 
supply chain. ................................................................................................................... 41 

62 

 
 
 
 
 
LIST OF TABLES 

Table 1 - Questionnaire structure ......................................................................... 9 
Table 2 - Products most frequently sold by surveyed companies .... 20 
Table 3 - Top inputs and limited supply ......................................................... 22 
Table 4 - Table 7 –Distribution of sales worldwide by region ............ 44 
Table 5 - Distribution of purchases worldwide by region ...................... 46 
Table 6 - Most demanded inputs and limited supply .............................. 46 

Table B 1 - Top 5 imported products in the value chain. Ranked by 
cumulative sum of trade values (in Th. euros) in 2021. ........................ 26 
Table B 2 - Top 5 exported products in the value chain. Ranked by 
cumulative sum of trade values (in Th. euros) in 2021. ........................ 28 

63 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LIST OF ANNEXES 

Semiconductor suppliers survey ………………………………………………………66 
Semiconductor end-users survey …………………………………………………….81 

64 

 
 
 
 
 
ANNEXES: THE 
QUESTIONNAIRES 

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