“Updated 14.04.2026”
The global semiconductor shortage of 2021–2022 had a massive impact on many industries. Although the acute supply crisis has eased since then, hardware availability remains a challenge for many IoT manufacturers. Long lead times, sudden allocation shifts, geopolitical risks, and prioritisation of high‑volume markets such as AI and automotive continue to affect component supply today.
For companies developing sensors, meters, and other connected devices, this raises an important question: How can IoT connectivity be implemented reliably when hardware availability cannot be guaranteed?
In this article, we explain how platform‑independent protocol stacks and flexible software architectures help you add — and future‑proof — IoT connectivity despite ongoing supply chain uncertainty.
The semiconductor market today: Less shortage, more volatility
While forecasts in 2022 attempted to predict when chip availability would “return to normal,” one lesson has become clear: supply chains remain volatile.
Manufacturers still face:
- Fluctuating lead times for industrial‑grade and RF components
- Limited availability of certain microcontrollers and transceiver ICs
- Sudden end‑of‑life decisions or allocation changes
- Increased dependency on geopolitical and regulatory developments
For IoT devices with long product lifecycles, this means that hardware flexibility has become just as critical as functional performance.
Adding iot connectivity with standard, platform independent software
At STACKFORCE, we focus on one core principle: IoT connectivity should not depend on a single hardware platform. Our core business is the development of protocol stacks for intelligent end devices such as sensors and meters across a wide range of IoT application areas. We support proven and widely used wireless communication technologies, including:
Our protocol stacks are available as:
- Single stacks for one wireless technology
- Multi‑stack variants combining two or more technologies
As standard products, our protocol stacks are production‑ready and available at short notice. Even in their standard versions, they run on a wide range of commonly used microcontroller and transceiver platforms — reducing the risk of vendor or chip dependency from the outset.
Why hardware dependency is a risk for IoT products
In times of constrained supply, having to rely on one specific chip can quickly become a bottleneck. While alternative components are often available, problems arise when software is tightly coupled to a single semiconductor.
Typical challenges include:
- High effort when switching microcontrollers
- Delays caused by proprietary drivers or vendor‑specific SDKs
- Limited flexibility late in the development process
For devices with long lifecycles, these risks can lead to significant delays, increased costs, or even stalled projects.
This is where software flexibility makes a decisive difference.
Thanks to a clean hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and years of experience working with a wide range of microcontrollers and transceiver ICs, our protocol stacks can be ported and adapted efficiently to different hardware platforms.
This approach allows manufacturers to:
- Switch hardware components if availability changes
- Keep development timelines stable despite supply chain disruptions
- Reuse software across product generations
We work closely with semiconductor manufacturers and are used to adapting our software to different architectures and interfaces. As a result, our customers remain flexible — even when hardware decisions have to be made at short notice.
The key takeaway from recent years is clear: Supply chain resilience must be built into IoT devices from the start. By relying on standardised, platform‑independent protocol stacks, manufacturers can significantly reduce their dependency on individual chips and react more confidently to market changes. Whether you are planning a new IoT product, updating an existing device, or facing hardware availability challenges:
we help you ensure reliable connectivity — regardless of which semiconductor is available.
Planning an IoT project or facing hardware constraints?
Get in touch with us to discuss how our protocol stacks can be tailored to the hardware you already have.
