Does anyone have any inside knowledge about why this expensive shortage continues so stubbornly? News stories are all over the map trying to predict its end.

Everything I've ever seen about the manufacturing process shows that it's one of the most, if not the most, heavily automated industries in existence. I would think the few, sparsely distributed humans involved in the process would make it far less susceptible to Covid19 impacts.

Most of the work has to happen in clean rooms anyway, further reducing Covid19 transmission risks.

As far as I can tell, the slowest part of the process is the growing of the initial boules. Crystals have to be grown slowly to avoid disclinations but I can't imagine how that process would be impacted by Covid19.

Could this be an artificial shortage created to strongarm higher chip prices under cover of Covid19?