It’s amazing how a device smaller than your fingernail can cause the disruption of so many industries worldwide. But that is what the current microchip shortage has done. Due to the pandemic, many microchip manufacturers had to shut down. With production halted, inventory dried up.

Nobody gives a thought about these miniature mechanical marvels until they are not available. When you go to Best Buy for a new smart TV or digital camera and the shelves are as bare as the toilet paper aisle in your supermarket was at the beginning of this pandemic.

We don’t think about the thermostat that keeps our homes at the ideal temperature. Until it doesn’t. We ask Alexa to play our favorite music with a simple verbal request, until she can’t. And when the silence is deafening, we wonder why we didn’t hold on to that old stereo and a few LPs.

The advancements in technology in the past few decades are amazing. Cars that drive themselves. Watches that can monitor your heart rate. Front doors that you can lock and unlock from your bathtub. Amazing. Until enough microchip factories have to shut down and cause a shortage in the item required for all them to work.

Most people associate microchips with computers, routers, WiFi devices, smartphones and televisions that stream your favorite programs. Not your refrigerator. And nowadays, you have to have a degree in computer science to work on a car.

Not long ago, a strong interest in combustible engines and the ability to work with your hands would be the criteria for a good mechanic. Replace a water pump or a fan belt. A good mechanic can repair or replace a transmission and send the car on its way.

Now you can press a button on your steering wheel to get directions to the nearest pizza place, phone or text a friend and change the satellite radio station. Great features that require a microchip to function.

The car industry is being hit the hardest by this shortage. You can’t build a car without that piece of technology the size of a fingernail.

The microchip shortage is hitting close to home for Jitterworks as well. We have a client for whom we designed a network and surveillance system. It required Ubiquiti cameras, switches, WiFi access points, a Network Video Recorder and network monitoring and management tools. The client was at a remote location so we worked with a local electrician to run the necessary network cables. The electrician did a great job getting everything in place and we hope to work with him again in the future.

The project started in May. Because of the microchip shortage, we weren’t able to get the equipment we needed until September. The project is now finished and the client is happy with the results.

Nobody could have anticipated this pandemic and the fallout it would have. But it’s nice to see that policies are being put in place to limit the shortage of microchips in the future. With today’s reliance on advanced technology in almost every industry, it needs to be a priority going forward.