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- Cisco's CEO has said the global computer chip crunch is set to last for six months.
- About 85% of internet traffic uses Cisco's systems, according to the BBC.
- The disruptions are also spreading to affect the production of domestic appliances like toasters.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Cisco's chief executive Chuck Robbins said the global shortage of computer chips is expected to last for most of this year.
"We think we've got another six months to get through the short term," he told the BBC.
Supply-chain disruptions in semiconductors have impacted many tech firms, caused by a surge in demand for electronics prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and chip shortages at large production facilities, The Financial Times reported.
This has prompted providers to build out more capacity, Robbins told the BBC. And "that'll get better and better over the next 12 to 18 months," he said.
Expansion of capacity will be vital as demand soars. The shortage is a big problem, Robbins said, "because semiconductors go in virtually everything."
As a result of the dwindling supply, makers of smartphones, televisions, and home appliances have seen delays in production, The disruptions are also affecting the production of other domestic appliances such as toasters and washing machines.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not the only possible factor in computer chip supply shortages. At the start of this month, the US added Chinese supercomputing companies to its export blacklist for assisting the Chinese military, Reuters reported.