Nord Stream 2 expects regulators to decide by May whether its contested natural gas pipeline linking Germany to Russia will be able to operate as planned. Already suffering U.S. sanctions, the project led by Gazprom PJSC is pinning its hopes on German regulator Bundesnetzagentur to help it clear hurdles erected by European Union competition authorities. So-called unbundling rules rolled out by the trade bloc last year require the owners of gas and those who deliver it by pipeline or ship to be separate legal entities, even the fuel comes from outside the EU. Source: Bloomberg
Carmakers hoping for relief from the acute global chip shortage may have to wait until 2023 before things return to normal, German semiconductor supplier Infineon warned on Tuesday. Source Fortune
If chips are the new oil of the current era, then it pays to hear from the chip chiefs such as TSMC Chairman Mark Liu.
He revealed plenty about the U.S. desire to boost domestic chip manufacturing after decades of neglect in a rare and extraordinary interview on “60 Minutes.” Liu said U.S. companies and the government should not focus on the costly process of shifting the chip supply chain to the U.S. and instead pay more attention to R&D and global collaboration. Source Fierce
Afghanistan’s security forces have fought back a Taliban offensive in southern Helmand province, officials and residents have said, as the armed group launched assaults around the country after a missed United States deadline to withdraw troops. Source Al Jazeera
