TOKYO -- Delays in the delivery of semiconductors are forcing electronics manufacturers like Sony to scramble, with lead times for orders reaching as long as nearly two years.
Lead times for chip orders in February grew five to 15 weeks longer than in October, according to U.S. electronic component distributor Sourcengine. Based on these calculations, general-purpose products' lead times averaged 44 weeks for 16-bit processors, up 15 weeks from October, and 37 weeks for power chips, up nine weeks. The longest lead time reached 99 weeks for certain processors.
