� CD PROJEKT Video game developer and publisher CD Projekt announced a $ 300mn profit in 2020 , triple its previous record , despite lukewarm reaction to its latest project Cyberpunk 2077 .

Why have computer chips become so scarce ? It ’ s all to do with a calamitous combination of circumstances put in motion by COVID-19 .

What are the circumstances , then ? The pandemic itself initially hit manufacturers already struggling to meet the demand for chips , which are being integrated into more and more smart products . On top of that the explosion of pent up customer demand as the pandemic eases is adding even more strain .

And the effect ? It ’ s hitting consumers particularly hard , with everything from TVs to cars struggling to meet demand . The result is long wait times and price rises . Take Ford , for instance , which was recently forced to cut production on its F-150 pickup trucks for the lack of chips .

What can we do ? If you ’ re a business , very little . It ’ s up to governments to haul us out of this mess , as with the EU ’ s plan to manufacture 20 % of the world ’ s semiconductors by 2030

� GAMESTOP The video game retailer continued to ride the wave of amateur investor interest from the likes of Reddit ’ s WallStreetBets subreddit , with its share price stabilising around $ 150 after a period of volatility .

� ANT GROUP Jack Ma ’ s Chinese fintech giant Ant Group was forced into restructuring to become more like a bank , with tougher regulations amid a broader crackdown on tech companies by the Chinese government .

� ALIBABA In another blow to founder Jack Ma , Chinese tech giant Alibaba was hit with a $ 2.8bn fine from the Chinese government , which said the company had been abusing its market position for years .

technologymagazine . com 13