Enlarge / A worker checks a mainboard at a Vingroup production facility in Hanoi, Vietnam. (credit: NHAC NGUYEN/AFP) US chip supplies are close to the breaking point as a new survey reveals diminished inventories and overstretched fabs. The numbers put the chip shortage in stark relief. In 2021, companies that purchase semiconductors had less than five days of inventory on hand as opposed to the 40 days of inventory they had in 2019, according to a survey of more than 150 companies conducted by the US Department of Commerce.