Technological sovereignty

Web special Fraunhofer magazine 3.2021

Nothing works today without microchips. They are built into cars, smartphones and industrial robots. In recent months, delivery bottlenecks as a result of Corona have meant that production had to be throttled or even stopped in many places, especially in the automotive industry: In January 2021, around 15 percent less production was here than in the previous year − with almost unchanged high demand . An analysis by the management consultancy AlixPartners comes to the conclusion that due to a lack of microchips, up to four million fewer cars can be built worldwide in 2021.

The global supply chain network is tightly knit and trimmed to the bone to ensure maximum efficiency. The example of the tiny semiconductor chips shows just how easily it can fall off course. On top of this, there are risks posed by digitalization: Companiesand products are vulnerable − to attacks by hackers, manipulated chips, data leaks or production data theft, to name a few. The threat of digital attacks increases as the Internet of Things expands, and millions of control devices, sensors and cameras, both at home and in industry, become interconnected via the internet. Even the German Federal Office for Information Security admits that IT security in Germany is facing a tense situation.