The coronavirus pandemic left makers of personal computers, smartphones, and cars without the computer chips needed to make their products.
疫情使个人电脑、智能手机和汽车制造商所需的计算机芯片短缺。
 
That suddenly changed during a period of three weeks from late May to June. High inflation, China's latest COVID restrictions and the war in Ukraine have reduced consumer spending -- especially on computers and smartphones.
从5月下旬到6月的三周时间里，这种情况突然发生了变化。高通胀、中国最新的疫情限制以及乌克兰战争抑制了消费者支出——尤其是在电脑和智能手机上。
 
Chip shortages turned into a surplus in some industries. By late June, memory chip company Micron Technology Inc. said it would reduce production. The sudden change in the market caught Micron by surprise, said Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana.
在某些行业，芯片短缺变成了过剩。到6月底，存储芯片公司美光科技公司表示将减产。首席商务官 Sumit Sadana 表示，市场的突然变化让美光措手不及。
 
Worries about an industry recession have severely affected computer chip stocks. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index has fallen 35 percent so far in 2022. That is far more than the S&P 500's 19 percent loss.
对行业衰退的担忧严重影响了计算机芯片库存。2022 年迄今费城半导体指数下跌了 35%，远超标准普尔 500 指数 19% 的跌幅。
 
Hoarding is making the situation worse. Hoarding is the practice of collecting or storing a large amount of something. Many manufacturers stored a large number of computer chips during the pandemic.
芯片囤积让情况变得更糟。囤积是收集或储存大量东西的做法。许多制造商在疫情期间存储了大量的芯片。
 
Before that, those manufacturers ordered parts as close to production time as possible to avoid having extra supplies and to reduce storage space and spending.
在此之前，这些制造商订购的零件尽可能接近生产时间，以避免库存过剩、缩减仓库空间和削减前期支出。
 
Experts say the computer chip surplus has hit unevenly across business areas. Big suppliers of chips to electronics makers will be hit hardest by the decline, said semiconductor expert Tristan Gerra.
专家表示，芯片过剩对各个业务领域的影响并不均衡。半导体专家特里斯坦·杰拉表示，电子产品制造商的芯片大供应商受到的冲击最严重。
 
Computer chip design company Nvidia Corp could be hit especially hard as prices continue to fall, Gerra added. Nvidia produces graphic chips used for gaming and the digital money known as cryptocurrency.
杰拉还说，随着价格持续下跌，计算机芯片设计公司英伟达可能会受到特别严重的打击。英伟达公司生产用于游戏和被称为加密货币的数字货币的图形芯片。
 
Among those least affected by a surplus are Apple Inc's suppliers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, said computer chip expert Matt Bryson. Demand remains high for Apple devices.
计算机芯片专家马特·布赖森 (Matt Bryson) 表示，受芯片过剩影响最小的是台积电等苹果公司的供应商。苹果设备对芯片的需求仍然很高。
Industry executives and experts cannot say how many surplus chips are in storerooms around the world. But industry expert Mark Lipacis said supply numbers for the first three months of 2022 hit a record high at major electronics manufacturing services companies. The earlier record was over 20 years ago.
行业高管和专家无法确定全球储藏了多少剩余芯片。但行业专家马克·利帕西斯表示，主要电子制造服务公司2022年前三个月的供应量创下同期历史新高。上次破纪录还是在20多年前。
 
Manufacturers may decide to use up chips in storerooms instead of buying new ones, and cancel orders, Lipacis warned.
利帕西斯警告称，制造商可能会决定先用完库存中的芯片，而不是购买新的芯片，也可能会取消订单。
 
Some experts said automobile chipmakers are safe for now. But that may not last long.
一些专家表示，汽车芯片制造商目前是安全的，但也可能不会持续太久。
 
Industry expert Stacy Rasgon told Reuters that automakers were ordering far more chips than they appeared to need.
行业专家斯特西·拉斯冈告诉路透社，汽车制造商订购的芯片数量远远超过他们的需求。
 
That will create a problem when vehicle makers stop buying chips to use up their current supplies.
当汽车制造商为消耗库存而停止购买芯片时，问题就会浮出水面。
 
I'm Jonathan Evans.
乔纳森·埃文斯报道。