The earthquake in Japan will cause a "rippling effect" through the global electronics industry, though U.S. semiconductor makers are still assessing the potential impact from the ongoing tragedy, the chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association said Wednesday.

Ray Stata, who is also founder and chairman of Norwood, Mass.-based Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), said in an interview that any disruptions in the supply of semiconductors could have a far-reaching impact on the production processes of goods like computers or cameras. But most electronics manufacturers typically have substitute sources for components, he said.

"There's no doubt that it's going to be very disruptive for the Japanese economy, and for the rippling effects that it can have elsewhere," Stata said during a trip to Washington for the trade group's annual meeting.

Japan supplies about a fifth of the global semiconductor market, and is a major producer of memory chips used in smartphones. With Japan 's economy facing an ongoing threat from its nuclear crisis, industry watchers warn that some high-tech production could shift permanently out of the country if the recovery is delayed too long.

Prices of memory chips have already started to climb since the quake, and Stata said that is one sector that could feel the effects.

Brian Toohey, president of the association whose members account for 90% of U.S. semiconductor production, said U.S. firms with operations in affected areas of Japan are still in the process of ensuring that workers are safe and assessing any damage.

"The supply chains are so complicated and so complex that trying to come up with any firm estimate of what the business impact will be is very difficult at this point," he said.

Paula Collins, vice president of government relations at Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN), said the company is assessing customer needs to ensure they can be "addressed as adequately as possible" after the quake disrupted production at two of its three plants in Japan.

The Dallas-based chip maker said earlier this week it expects to lose some revenue in its fiscal first quarter and more in the fiscal second quarter. Its Miho facility suffered "substantial damage" and isn't expected to return to full production until mid-July. The company plans to shift about 60% of its wafer production elsewhere.

Equipment in the Aizu-wakamatsu plant is already back up and running, with full production expected in about a month.

"But this all assumes there's going to be power supply, there are a lot of unknowns about the circumstances there," said Collins.

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