The news: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced its record spending plan for 2022 to meet continued demand for semiconductors in various industries.

Asia-Pacific will no longer produce huge increases in new social network users, but the sheer scale of the region means it should remain front and center for social media marketers. Facebook will remain on top, but TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are making waves.

Semiconductor sales are expected to normalize after a record-setting 2021 predicated by various shortages and extended gaps between orders and deliveries.

Building foundries in key countries follows a global trend to decentralize chip production from supply chains rooted in Taiwan and China. TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker, is looking to Arizona, Germany, and Japan for its future plants, ostensibly to serve the burgeoning electronics and automotive industries in those areas.

Droughts in Taiwan impeded production due to stringent water use restrictions. Rolling power outages and coal shortages are similarly constraining production, with more than 10 Taiwan-based semiconductor companies closed temporarily last month. One-third of Asian chipmakers, 67% of North American companies, and 63% of European companies say it’s difficult to find qualified workers.