The dominant IMU gyro chip for FPV depends on a single MEMS fab with Chinese packaging

The InvenSense ICM-42688-P is the standard IMU in 90%+ of FPV flight controllers, providing the gyroscope and accelerometer data essential for flight stabilization. While InvenSense is owned by TDK (Japan), the MEMS fabrication and packaging supply chain runs through Chinese semiconductor facilities. Any disruption to this single chip halts flight controller production globally. Alternative MEMS IMUs from Bosch or ST Micro have different register maps requiring flight controller firmware rewrites that take months. This persists because the FPV community standardized on ICM-42688 and all firmware (Betaflight, INAV, ArduPilot) is optimized for its specific noise characteristics.