German Companies Lose Trust in US Chip Supply, Bitkom Survey Reveals

A recent Bitkom survey shows 62% of German companies have "little" to "no" confidence in the United States as a reliable chip supplier. This crisis of trust stems mainly from the Trump administration's "America First" trade policies, with unilateralism and export controls raising concerns that supply chains could be used as geopolitical tools.

The survey also found 92% of semiconductor-intensive enterprises are more worried about geopolitical risks in Taiwan. In response, German companies have fundamentally shifted procurement strategies, prioritizing "supply security" over "price." Over half have built chip inventories, while 86% believe establishing high-performance semiconductor production bases in Germany and Europe is crucial.

This consensus is driving German industrial policy changes, with the government actively attracting companies like TSMC and Intel to build local factories. Additionally, 64% of surveyed companies already use AI chips in operations, whose supply security directly affects Germany's leading position in smart manufacturing and other fields.