[ElectricalUnion]

> The car manufacturers would surely just buy their way into the front of the line, if it was just this.

Those older nodes "chairs" that the automotive industry used are less profitable in general. One doesn't simply spin down and spin up a semiconductor fabrication plant.

>> the supply chain disruption removed the chair the automotive industries had been sitting in before...

Replacing the (old) chair is easily in the billions of dollars. Not everyone can foot that kind of bill.

[topper-123]

In that case it was an incredibly stupid move for car manufacturers to wind down orders for semiconductors, even in the face of covid. The down side risk is huge.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

A charitable interpretation of that decision would account for the fact that they have more information than you do about the situation.

[CamperBob2]

Well, they may have had more information, but it certainly wasn't good information.