By George Leopold

What’s at stake?
Infrastructure and Jobs Act Funds are beginning to flow in a rebuild of key logistics and distribution components of the sclerotic U.S. supply chain. The challenge is quickly dispersing funds where they are needed to help unsnarl the American ports and freight railways that are the lifeblood of the nation’s logistics network.

The Infrastructure and Jobs Act, signed into law last November, includes $1.2 trillion for rebuilding bridges, roads and rails, along with modernizing port and other facilities. Of that total, $17 billion is earmarked for port infrastructure and waterways.

By Bolaji Ojo

What’s at stake?
After 42 years at Texas Instruments, Rich Templeton may be ready to hand over the reins to a new CEO. The Ojo-Yoshida Report believes COO Haviv Ilan is in line to succeed Templeton, but the hard question is whether a new CEO will make drastic changes at the analog and embedded-processor giant.

Texas Instruments Inc. early in December named Haviv Ilan to its board of directors, potentially moving the senior executive into the pole position to succeed Richard Templeton as president and chief executive officer in as little as months or at most a couple of years from now.

By Bolaji Ojo

What’s at stake?

Ironclad semiconductor purchase commitments are now heavily favored by chipmakers and foundries seeking to spread the financial burden of IC production, but the rigid terms of the often-lengthy contracts could spell trouble for everyone if market conditions change.

Leading electronics manufacturers and semiconductor suppliers are signing ironclad, multibillion-dollar supply contracts as they struggle with unprecedented shortages and a spike in average selling prices for components and raw materials. The contracts terms typically require the prepayment of huge sums in multiyear commitments, further widening the sourcing gap between the industry’s biggest and richest enterprises and their smaller competitors.

By George Leopold

What’s at stake?
Convinced that Western democracies are in decline, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping seek to reshape the geopolitical map. With Russia bogged down in Ukraine, Beijing must weigh support for an international pariah against continued access to Western markets. Stiff Ukrainian resistance may also delay any Chinese moves on Taiwan.

China continues to walk a fine line of seeming neutrality in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as the U.S. ratchets up pressure on Beijing to comply with Western financial sanctions and technology controls.

By Bolaji Ojo

What’s at stake?
Semiconductor inventories have ballooned among chipmakers, foundries, and component distributors despite complaints of severe shortages. Most available parts have been prepaid and accounted for, however, and therefore cannot be released to just any prospective buyers, putting a further squeeze on supply chains. If the situation persists, the ongoing shortages will be indefinitely prolonged.

With the current supply shortages serving as cover and justification for their actions, chipmakers have been asking for and receiving billions of dollars as prepayment for components, splitting purchasers into two camps: the deep-pocketed enterprises that can afford to pay a premium for products and services, and the hardscrabble OEMs and fabless chip vendors that must scramble for leftover supplies and foundry manufacturing space, which they may only be able to secure by paying much higher prices.