OREANDA-NEWS. In Texas, some semiconductor manufacturers suspended production due to extreme cold, that causes the power outages. According to «The Wall Street Journal», this may worsen the shortage of chips in the market, against which automakers have begun to stop factories.

Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers, operates two factories in Austin. The company received a request from the local authorities to suspend the operation of the enterprises, a Samsung spokeswoman said. The company expects to resume production as soon as possible and is discussing a timeline with electricity supplier Austin Energy.

Dutch company «NXP Semiconductors NV», which makes semiconductors for the automotive industry, said it had to restrict the operation of two plants in Austin. «NXP has directly notified customers affected of potential supply disruptions», the company said.

Germany's «Infineon Technologies AG», a supplier of memory chips, that are critical to the automotive and industrial markets, said it had closed it's Austin factory. It happened after the local authorities inform about potential interruptions in the supply of electricity. The company created a special team, which was tasked to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of about 1 thousand people. employees of the company, said a representative of Infineon. She noted, that the company is assessing the consequences and will follow the recommendations of the local authorities regarding the resumption of work.