Rebound in the auto industry boosted industrial production in the US.

The Federal Reserve said Friday that US industrial output increased in March as automakers shifted gears despite the ongoing semiconductor scarcity.

The Fed said that industrial production increased by 0.9 percent last month, above expectations and increasing the indicator of business output to an annualized rate of 8.1 percent for the first quarter.

According to the numbers, motor vehicle and component manufacture increased by 7.8%, resulting in a 0.9 percent increase in ordinary output, while other companies saw production rise by 0.4 percent.

Because the supply of laptop chips required for new cars is in short supply, American manufacturers have battled to keep production running.

Mining output increased by 1.7 percent, owing to increased oil and fuel production.