Coronavirus may affect PC component supply

One of the hot talking points of the past week is the rapid spread of the new coronavirus. While there are a lot of uncertainties, there's no doubt that public life in China is already significantly affected.

Hexus evaluates how this may impact the supply of electronics components. China is the production giant of the world and companies like Apple are seeming to have doubts about whether Chinese suppliers will be forced to shut down due to the virus. Besides Apple, lots of other companies are also affected so this could lead to lower supply and higher prices.

Of course it isn't all about Apple and Foxconn, though they were in the news today due to their respective public statements. Storage news and analysis site Blocks & Files has compiled a lengthy list of NAND and disk drive manufacturers with operations in China. Most notably; Intel Fab 68 makes 3D NAND in Dalian, Micron manufactures in Xian, Samsung has three semiconductor fabs in mainland China, SK hynix has two Chinese facilities, and HDD components for Seagate and WD are made in China.

At the moment, Lunar New Year holiday have been extended to February 2 nationwide in China, and even an extra week in Shanghai and several provinces. Hopefully, things will go back to normal as soon as possible.