AKM Factory Fire—A Pro-Audio Industry Disaster

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https://www.prosoundnetwork.com/busines ... o-industry

Nobeoka City, Japan (October 29, 2020)—In the wake of a massive three-day fire at the Nobeoka City factory of semiconductor producer Asahi Kasei Microsystems (AKM), pro-audio manufacturers around the globe are now facing anticipated shortages of crucial DAC and ADC chips used in their products. “It’s probably the most disruptive event in my 40 years of audio industry experience,” said John La Grou, CEO of Millennia Media. “Devastating is not too strong a word. Can 2020 get any worse?”

Millennia is just one of many high-end pro-audio companies with major products designed around AKM chips; others include Solid State Logic, TASCAM, miniDSP, Merging Technologies, SPL of Germany and RME, to name only a few.

Also Focusrite Clarett range (ADC), Slate VRS8, MOTU (ADC).