Electronics industry trends 2021

515 Comments

1. April 29, 2021 at 12:21 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12062-ddr5-muistien-volyymituotanto-on-alkanut

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2. April 29, 2021 at 4:33 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   AMD Smashes Records Again, Data Center and Semi-Custom Revenue up 286%, Consumer Up 46%
   No Chips? No Problem.
   https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-smashes-records-data-center-consumer-revenue-1q2021-earnings?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=tomsguide

   AMD crushed expectations with its first-quarter 2021 financial results today with record quarterly revenue of $3.45B, an increase of 93% year over year (YoY). AMD grew in every segment despite constant product shortages for its consumer CPUs and GPUs at retail, a byproduct of record demand and pandemic-spurred supply chain disruptions.

   It’s no secret that AMD has been plagued by shortages of consumer CPUs and GPUs, but the company is obviously selling every piece of silicon it can punch out. AMD raked in $2.1 billion for the computing and graphics segment (consumer CPUs and GPUs), a 46% improvement over the prior year driven by Ryzen and Radeon sales.

   AMD’s Ryzen processors set records for revenue and average selling prices (ASPs). AMD also says it has increased its desktop PC market share again, an encouraging sign for the company after Intel stole back some desktop PC market share last quarter.

   AMD is also doing well in the notebook segment

   Notably, Intel also sold a record number of notebook PC chips last quarter, but it suffered a sharp 43% decline in average selling prices.

   AMD’s Enterprise, Embedded, and Semi-Custom (EESC) group, which covers data center chips and game consoles, was up an incredible 286% over last year as it raked in $1.35 billion, largely driven by strong EPYC processor sales that more than doubled (consoles declined slightly during the quarter).

   AMD’s EPYC Rome and Milan chips. AMD’s data center revenue accounted for a ‘high-teens’ percentage of the company’s revenue.

   AMD reported gross margins of 46%, which is flat for the year.

   Overall, AMD posted an almost flawless quarter, especially in light of the current state of the global market. AMD also guides for an impressive $3.6 billion next quarter, an impressive 86% YoY gain during what is historically a slower quarter.

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3. April 29, 2021 at 8:21 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Nokialta huonoja uutisia: Sirupula ei hellitä https://www.is.fi/digitoday/art-2000007948859.html

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4. April 30, 2021 at 11:49 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12079-komponenttipula-uhkaa-teollisuuden-kasvua

   Reply
5. May 1, 2021 at 3:53 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   TSMC thinks building new leading-edge foundries in Europe is a bad idea.

   Taiwan Dismisses EU Effort to Build Leading Edge Semiconductor Capacity
   https://www.extremetech.com/computing/322343-taiwan-dismisses-eu-effort-to-build-leading-edge-semiconductor-capacity?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

   Talk of building leading-edge foundry capacity has accelerated in Europe, but Taiwan’s Economy Minister thinks the business case for such efforts is weak. “TSMC has said repeatedly that the most advanced technology will definitely be (produced) mainly in Taiwan,” Minister Wang said. “As for how Taiwan and the EU can cooperate, companies have their arrangements and considerations, and it can be further discussed.”

   TMSC’s CEO said this week that the company “currently have no further fab expansion plan in other areas such as Europe. But we did not rule out any possibility.”

   Reply
6. May 2, 2021 at 7:11 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Report: Packaging Issues, PS5 Demand May Be Hurting TSMC Production
   https://www.extremetech.com/computing/318937-report-packaging-issues-ps5-demand-may-be-hurting-tsmc-production?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

   Over the past 4-5 months, we’ve discussed repeated product shortages affecting just about every piece of high-end PC or gaming hardware currently on the market. One of the more interesting aspects of the situation has been the way it has hit everyone: Samsung-built Nvidia GPUs are hard to find, but so are TSMC-built AMD GPUs. AMD CPU prices and availability has been all over the map. The PS5 and Xbox Series S|X have been in and out of stock.

   Reports from fall, 2020 suggested that TSMC was working through a shortage of ABF substrate. ABF (Ajinomoto Build-up Film) is a resin that insulates modern ICs and resists expansion and contraction based on changes in temperature. Connections bridging the gap between the nanoscale (IC) and millimeter-scale (packaging) are made through an ABF layer

   ABF is incredibly important to the chip-packaging process, and an ongoing shortage is hitting pretty much everyone who employs advanced packaging standards. This could fit our criteria for an important piece of the overall explanation of what’s going on, because this isn’t an issue that would impact just Nvidia, AMD, Intel, or any other single company. If TSMC can’t buy enough of it, the impact could ripple out across the market, hitting a number of companies. Apple, Qualcomm, and Samsung all use ABF as well. DigiTimes reported on a shortage at least as early as June 2020 and claimed it could widen and worsen in 2021. That prediction seems to have borne fruit.

   TSMC’s major suppliers for ABF are all rumored to be experiencing ongoing shortages. There are rumors that AMD can’t currently meet demand for notebooks because of the ABF problem and that the issue could worsen in Q3 2021 when Zen 3 notebooks come to market. Up until now, we’ve heard a lot of rumors that the shortages would ease in March-April 2021, but if the ABF angle is true, it could take longer.

   Reply
7. May 3, 2021 at 9:45 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Inside The Largest Semiconductor Factory In The World!
   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6OeYwfDkiH8&feature=share

   Reply
8. May 3, 2021 at 9:45 am

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   Top 10 Semiconductor Companies in the World 2020
   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hFaljEQ5q98&t=0s

   Reply
9. May 6, 2021 at 7:01 pm

   Tomi Engdahl says:

   IBM has become the first in the world to introduce a 2-nanometer (nm) node chip, which it claims will improve performance by 45% using the same amount of power and enables it to place 50 billion nanosheet transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail.

   IBM Introduces the World’s First 2-nm Node Chip
   https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/ibm-introduces-the-worlds-first-2nm-node-chip

   IBM has become the first in the world to introduce a 2-nanometer (nm) node chip. IBM claims this new chip will improve performance by 45 percent using the same amount of power, or use 75 percent less energy while maintaining the same performance level, as today’s 7 nm-based chips. To give some sense of scale, with 2-nm technology, IBM could put 50 billion transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail.

   The foundation of the chip is nanosheet technology in which each transistor is made up of three stacked horizontal sheets of silicon, each only a few nanometers thick and completely surrounded by a gate.

   The Nanosheet Transistor Is the Next (and Maybe Last) Step in Moore’s Law
   https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/devices/the-nanosheet-transistor-is-the-next-and-maybe-last-step-in-moores-law

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10. May 9, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    We can’t buy GPUs and CPUs, but that’s because of intense demand – the market is actually setting records for units shipped.

    Despite Shortages, Chip Sales to Top $522 Billion in 2021
    By Anton Shilov 2 days ago
    https://www.tomshardware.com/news/semiconductor-market-to-top-522-billion-dollars-in-2021

    Chip market expected to grow despite shortages.

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11. May 9, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    EU’s Breton Says Time to Fix ‘Naive’ Approach to Chip Supply
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-05/europe-looks-to-secure-chip-supply-after-naive-past-approach

    Europe was naive to outsource so much of its semiconductor design and manufacturing to other regions and needs to redress the balance, the European Union’s top industry official said.

    Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said a global chip shortage that’s disrupting the car industry and supplies of electronic goods is proof that it’s time to act.

    “We want to come back to our former market share of production for the needs of our industry,” Breton said in an interview with Bloomberg News. Europe’s share of semiconductor manufacturing has dropped over the years because the region has been “too naive, too open,” he said.

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12. May 13, 2021 at 8:29 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.edn.com/monitoring-control-and-protection-options-in-dc-fans-for-air-cooling/

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13. May 13, 2021 at 3:01 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    “These are tough times for chip companies and for the growing number of industries that rely on their wares. But that pressure usually leads to real innovation, which is exactly what we need right now.”

    Stacey Higginbotham recently caught up with Avnet’s Peggy Carrieres to discuss the current semiconductor shortage and what that could mean for innovation in the engineering community.

    The chip shortage could lead to an era of hardware innovation
    https://staceyoniot.com/the-chip-shortage-could-lead-to-an-era-of-hardware-innovation/

    It’s bad out there for customers of electronic parts and components. The semiconductor shortage is so severe it’s being covered by mainstream media; meanwhile, various politicians have tasked their aides with looking at the global supply chain. Indeed, in the short term, the dearth of chips is already leading to product delays, companies redesigning their parts, and higher device prices. But over the long term, it could usher in a complete rethink of the way electronics parts are designed.

    Peggy Carrieres, VP of global sales development and supplier enablement at Avnet, told me she expects the shortage to contribute to engineers reducing the number of physical components used and turning instead to software to handle functions that had historically been done in hardware. The shortages tied to the pandemic are an accelerator for this shift, but it has been happening for years as the industry adjusts to the end of Moore’s Law and the ability to eke out more performance at lower costs.

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14. May 15, 2021 at 8:30 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Despite Shortages, Chip Sales to Top $522 Billion in 2021
    By Anton Shilov 8 days ago
    Chip market expected to grow despite shortages.
    https://www.tomshardware.com/news/semiconductor-market-to-top-522-billion-dollars-in-2021

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15. May 15, 2021 at 8:30 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Flash Memory’s 2D Cousin is 5,000 Times Speedier
    https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/vanderwaals-heterostructure-flash-memory-5000-times-speedier

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16. May 15, 2021 at 11:49 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    IBM agrees with Intel and TSMC: this chip shortage isn’t going to end anytime soon
    By Jacob Ridley about 20 hours ago
    Sorry, PC gamers. More bad news.
    https://www.pcgamer.com/ibm-agrees-with-intel-and-tsmc-this-chip-shortage-isnt-going-to-end-anytime-soon/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow

    IBM joins the ranks of high-profile tech companies that believe we could be in this chip crisis for a few years, at least. Disappointing, I know. It’s the last thing us PC gamers want to hear, but it’s looking more and more like the top tech companies are planning for shortages until 2022/2023.

    Jim Whitehurst, IBM president, told the BBC (via The Guardian) that we’ll be waiting on supply for a while because it takes a long time to build new fabs.

    “There’s just a big lag between from when a technology is developed and when [a fab] goes into construction and when chips come out,” Whitehurst said.

    “So frankly, we are looking at couple of years… before we get enough incremental capacity online to alleviate all aspects of the chip shortage.”

    Reply
17. May 15, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    AMD is free to shop around for all of its silicon needs.

    AMD agrees to $1.6B in new chips from GloFo for its manufacturing freedom
    By Jacob Ridley 1 day ago
    AMD is so close to complete manufacturing independence.
    https://www.pcgamer.com/amd-agrees-to-dollar16b-in-new-chips-from-glofo-for-its-manufacturing-freedom/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social

    AMD has finally been unleashed from any exclusivity deals with GlobalFoundries, its original manufacturing arm. While AMD has been free of pesky GloFo royalties for a while, and free to pursue chips from other manufacturers at 7nm and smaller, it’s still beholden to a Wafer Supply Agreement with its ex-fab for 12/14nm chips. With the latest amendment to that agreement, however, those exclusivity clauses are now all but old news.

    AMD announced the change within an 8-K filing to the SEC, which is required when a company wishes to announce something significant to shareholders.

    This amendment gives AMD the freedom to pick up any process node, from any manufacturer, whenever it so chooses. That’s a slight change on what came before, which had allowed AMD to source “7nm and beyond” chips from whomever, but also meant it was committed to all 12nm and larger chips from GlobalFoundries, hence why the I/O chips in its Ryzen processors had to come from its old manufacturer.

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18. May 16, 2021 at 7:35 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Cerebras Second-Gen Wafer Scale Chip: 2.6 Trillion 7nm Transistors, 850,000 Cores, 15kW of Power
    https://www.tomshardware.com/news/cerebras-wafer-scale-engine-2-worlds-largest-chip-7nm-850000-cores

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19. May 17, 2021 at 4:50 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    The chip shortage is driving up tech prices–starting with TVs
    Some high-end televisions already cost 30% more than they did last summer.
    https://www.wired.com/story/chip-shortage-electronics-prices-tvs-displays/

    This feels a little like a self fulfilling prophecy. There’s a shortage of components so people rush out to buy things made with those components, causing a shortage of those components.

    It’s like toilet paper all over again.

    Maybe, or we just consume more silicon that we used to, and it grows faster that the capacity does – and this capacity is not very elastic.

    The pandemic didn’t destroy capacity, it wasn’t an earthquake or a hurricane. Companies just cancelled orders so the chips weren’t built and the fabs sat idle. We had adequate capacity pre pandemic and I find it hard to believe demand for chips has increases that much year over year.

    With so many nations talking about building their own chip fabrication factories, we’re a couple years out of a chip glut where you won’t be able to give them away.

    The bigger problem is production capacity for the things a society needs to keep functioning should be treated like a strategic resource and cultivated in any country that wants to be a world power. The united states is in a good position from a food production standpoint, toilet paper, too, but recent trends are showing just how screwed we are from a technology production standpoint.

    It’s hard to build smart bombs when your enemy was the one providing the smart, and they’re cutting you off, now.

    Not hoarding, but people tend to hasten buying new things if they expect the things to go up. They might be still OK with their old TV for half a year more, but they expect them to go up, so they will buy it now (already seeing this happening with SSD drives).

    Not saying this is driving the prices of TVs up now, but I am sure this will fuel the rise in the near future with all the medial coverage.

    It’s not the final product offered to consumers that is being hoarded but it’s the individual components and materials used to manufacture ICs, boards etc that are being hoarded by manufacturers to make sure they have an adequate supply to keep producing at the level the want to, when demand for end products increases beyond expectations. That makes the supply collapse as companies vacuum the market for anything available, which leads to the situation mentioned in the article:

    “Companies that act as electronics component brokers say that certain components have seen prices jump orders of magnitude; voltage regulators used in countless products that normally cost 50 cents have been selling for as much as $70”

    …which frankly sounds quite insane to me. I’m sure that is an edge case and not the typical situation for all kinds of materials but even so, one would think it couldn’t happen in such a bad way so quickly.

    SSDs and TVs are end products. The problems are supply-side. Manufacturers may stockpile critical components if they expect disruptions in their supply lines, but the current situation goes deeper than that. Panic-buying wouldn’t result in shortages lasting more than a year. If production was at normal levels, everyone would instead be trying to offload their surplus after a few months.

    We were at max capacity and foundries where at 6 month planning lead times.

    The pandemic shifted orders around but didn’t slow production. Now those shifted orders what their stuff first and it is causing headaches as they weren’t give 6 months to shift things around.

    In reality we need a dozen new plants world wide and all of that capacity will get used up 6 months after they come online.

    https://www.wired.com/story/chip-shortage-electronics-prices-tvs-displays/

    Reply
20. May 17, 2021 at 1:30 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    US-China tech war: ASML CEO says controlling chip sales to China won’t work
    https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3129585/us-china-tech-war-asml-ceo-says-controlling-chip-sales-china-wont?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3129585

    CEO of the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker says China will develop its own tool eventually
    Company cannot sell advanced chip equipment to Chinese firms because of US-China trade tensions

    Export controls against China will not only fail to halt its technological progress but also hurt the US economy, ASML Holding NV chief executive officer Peter Wennink said, after trade tensions between Washington and Beijing led to restrictions on the sale of the Dutch company’s advanced chip equipment to Chinese firms.
    “I believe that export controls are not the right way to manage your economic risks if you have determined that there is an economic risk,” Wennink said during an online industry event on Wednesday, arguing that if “you close China from access to technology, that will also cost non-Chinese economies a lot of jobs and a lot of income.”

    Reply
21. May 18, 2021 at 7:40 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/tekniset-artikkelit/12130-piikarbidi-valtaa-tehosovelluksia

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22. May 18, 2021 at 7:43 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12140-logiikkapiireista-tuttu-materiaali-pelastaa-dram-muistit

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23. May 18, 2021 at 7:47 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2021/05/17/sirupula-pidatteli-euroopan-puolijohdekauppaa/

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24. May 18, 2021 at 8:06 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12155-korona-katosi-komponenttikaupasta

    Eurooppalaisjakelijat myivät vuoden ensimmäisellä neljänneksellä puolijohteita 15,6 prosenttia enemmän kuin edellisneljänneksellä. DMASS-järjestön mukaan koronan ja brexitin vaikutukset ovat nyt kadonneet komponenttikaupasta.

    Kaikkiaan jakelijat myivät tammi-maaliskuussa puolijohteita 2,17 miljardilla eurolla. Luku on 1,5 prosenttia pienempi kuin vuotta aikaisemmin. Tällä hetkellä valmistajille tuottaa ongelmia komponenttien saatavuus.

    - Varausmäärät ovat hulluja ja saatavuudesta on tuloja rajoittava tekijä jakelulle ja heidän asiakkailleen, sanoo DMASS:n puheenjohtaja Georg Steinberger.

    Reply
25. May 18, 2021 at 11:31 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12152-raataloitavat-analogiaosat-tulevat-pian-suunnitteluun
    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12153-samsung-uudisti-logiikkakotelon

    Reply
26. May 19, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Shift from 8″ Wafer Fabs to 12″ Could Ease IC Shortages
    https://www.eetimes.com/shift-from-8-wafer-fabs-to-12-could-ease-ic-shortages/

    To put it mildly, the 8-inch (200mm) wafer supply chain is somewhat struggling.

    As one headline from December read, “8-inch wafer capacity is in short supply to unimaginable levels”, with the article stating “wafer production capacity is so tight that customers’ demand for production capacity has reached a panic level.” And that from mid 2021 “to the second half of 2022, the logic and DRAM markets will be out of stock.”

    This is not a new problem, Trends Force stated around the same time that “8-inch wafer capacity has been in severe shortage since 2H19”. And EE Times reported in February 2020 that “Shortages loom after 8-inch fabs run at 99% capacity in Q1”.

    And to cap it all off, March’s fire at a Renesas fab used by GM and other car manufacturers can only make matters worse. As Nikkei put it: “Loss of advanced semiconductors could worsen global crunch [of automotive chips].”

    The causes of these issues are multiple, but have been hugely exacerbated by the pandemic, which has driven demand for many types of products including headphones, PCs, TVs, monitors and mobile phones. Added to this are sectors such as automotive which were expected to begin recovering from the pandemic this year. And whilst products aim to integrate many functions into a single SoC, many products typically have a digital IC accompanied by one or more mixed-signal companion chips. These cover applications such as power management (PMIC), CMOS image sensing, fingerprint sensing, automotive motor and chassis control, display drivers and sub-GHz RF radios and typically make use of 180 nm or 350 nm technology, manufactured on 8-inch (200mm) wafers.

    In short, the continuous increase in demand for these mixed signal chips and power devices is the main reason for the shortage of 8-inch wafer production capacity.

    With 8-inch wafer supply at breaking point, it might be assumed foundries would be adding capacity. And foundries are looking to acquire 8-inch manufacturing lines and equipment from IDMs.

    But, as per the above TrendsForce report, the severe shortage since 2H19 can be attributed to there being “almost no suppliers still currently produc[ing] 8-inch semiconductor equipment, meaning the price for such equipment has now skyrocketed. Moreover, since 8-inch wafer prices are relatively low in comparison to 12-inch wafer prices, foundries generally find it cost-ineffective to expand their 8-inch capacities.” And this has a knock-on effect, with some foundries raising their 8-inch wafer prices to customers.

    To put another way, the economics of 8-inch wafers make these shortages a feature of, rather than a glitch in, the supply chain.

    And the situation will not improve. Unlike with 12-inch (300mm) foundries where there are many announcements regarding further investment in capacity — notably from TSMC and from GlobalFoundries.

    Given the likelihood that there will not be further 8-inch capacity, some IC suppliers are migrating their existing designs from 180 nm and 350 nm 8-inch lines to newer lines using 12-inch wafers. And many foundries provide suitable 130 nm processes manufactured on 12-inch wafers, which can be used as a second or main source to service future capacity needs; and add geographic diversity in the supply chain.

    Properties of 180 nm vs 130 nm process nodes

    Even between similar process nodes such as 180 nm and 130 nm, they have different properties. The key being the different transistor threshold voltage level dropping, in line with the reduction in the core supply voltage from 1.8 V to 1.5 V or even 1.2 V. Various process options are available to support 5 V and 3.3 V IOs, and the passive components offered, essential for analogue and RF design, are similar between these process nodes

    The 12-inch technologies offer some advantages. They generally use copper for metal interconnects, whereas higher resistivity aluminum is used in older technologies, which allows higher current densities and protection against electromigration. The 12-inch technologies also support a larger number of metal layers and this, combined with the smaller transistor dimensions, allows an increase in the transistor and routing density and so a reduction is the die area or an increased functionality for a given unit price.

    Additionally, 130nm BCD nodes are now very mature technologies that offer many more process options, including different high voltage classes of transistors, non-volatile memories (OTP, flash), MIM caps, zener or Schottky diodes, etc. This can benefit the integration of complex analog/RF functions into a more competitive SoC solutions.

    Cost vs supply chain stability

    That’s not to say there aren’t reasons to stick with 8-inch wafers. Millimeter for millimeter, 350 nm 8-inch wafers have been cheap — dirt cheap.

    This is because the manufacturing equipment is fully depreciated and there being a low complexity of the manufacturing process (small number of layers). Additionally, some analogue circuits do not always scale so well in newer nodes, and 130 nm equivalent chips can therefore be more expensive than your 350nm.

    However, in most cases the inability to supply your product (be it a pair of headphones, a mobile phone, or a car) due to component shortages, will cause more pain than a small cost delta in your IC.

    Furthermore, designing a pin-to-pin compatible device with matching electrical parameters can be challenging when moving across nodes due to different supply, IO voltage support and different transistor characteristics.

    Implications

    Given the investment that is required to re-design an ASIC, it would be advisable to look at integrating other features that also might be in affected by 8-inch supply chain issues, particularly the MCU.

    The schedule to redesign an ASIC from its current datasheet and be qualified ready for production would be in the order of 14 to 24 months depending on the complexity, first prototype silicon could be with you in less than a year. For automotive products from specification to PPAP would be more like 24 to 36 months, again depending on the complexity. Typical budgets for a 130 nm ASIC would vary depending on the design complexity and IP licensing content but begin at c.$600k, stretching to c.$4M for a full AEC-Q100 qualified component for automotive applications. The cost of 130 nm mask tooling on a 12-inch process is now below $200,000, so relatively small part of the overall cost.

    Many mixed signal devices are manufactured on 8-inch wafers that are in short supply and lack of investment (caused by a low return on investment) in these manufacturing lines means supply-chain issues are likely to continue.

    Reply
27. May 19, 2021 at 12:52 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Durability, Derating, and Circularity
    https://www.eetimes.com/durability-derating-and-circularity/

    Last month, we began our evaluation of the Circular Electronics Partnership’s (CEP) roadmap. To me, it appears to be focused on recyclability and design for recyclability. Product modularity, design for repairability, and design for reuse are equally important and relate strongly to design for recyclability.

    Lesson: Derating guidelines (e.g., for electrolytic capacitors) must be defined and in place to enable achieving an expected product lifetime (at an acceptable mean time between failure rate, or MTBF). They become critical when that lifetime is driven by regulatory and market pressures to exceed what used to be the design life for the product.

    Repairability: This is becoming a regulatory requirement in the European Union, with France leading the way. While my subwoofer is not one of the five product categories subject to the French requirement for manufacturers to define the reparability rating of their product, it would probably get a rather low score. The product effectively has three replaceable subassemblies: the speaker, the amplifier, and the enclosure. Replacement of the speaker doesn’t appear to be particularly difficult, but replacement of the amplifier/power supply subassembly, which was not designed for maintainability — it was designed to be readily assembled into the system, but not to be removed, repaired, and/or replaced — without significant damage is nearly impossible. Unfortunately, the cost of third-party repair would exceed the cost of simply buying a new unit (which is what I ended up doing).

    These are not simply design choices a design engineer alone can make. A product strategy embodying an extended product life has broad implications for the company, its (forward and reverse) supply chains, required resources internally and externally, and its business model. A holistic approach to redefining the company to support circularity must include most, if not all, product-related organizations in the company along with executive and financial management. In other words, circular market requirements represent a fundamental shift in how a manufacturer must operate to remain viable.

    Reply
28. May 19, 2021 at 8:05 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Last year, TSMC announced that it would invest $10-$12 billion to build a new 5 nm capable foundry near Phoenix, Arizona. According to Reuters’ sources, TSMC officials are considering trebling the company’s investment by building a $25 billion second factory capable of building 3 nm chips. More tentative plans are in the works for 2 nm foundries as the Phoenix campus grows over the next 10-15 years as well.

    TSMC is considering a 3 nm foundry in Arizona
    The already planned 5 nm Arizona plant may be joined by a second, 3 nm plant.
    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/tsmc-is-considering-a-3-nm-foundry-in-arizona/

    Reply
29. May 26, 2021 at 4:33 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    AMD “Milan-X” Processor Could Use Stacked Dies with X3D Packaging Technology
    https://www.techpowerup.com/282608/amd-milan-x-processor-could-use-stacked-dies-with-x3d-packaging-technology

    by AleksandarK Yesterday, 16:20 Discuss (7 Comments)
    AMD is in a constant process of processor development, and there are always new technologies on the horizon. Back in March of 2020, the company has revealed that it is working on new X3D packaging technology, that integrated both 2.5D and 3D approaches to packing semiconductor dies together as tightly as possible. Today, we are finally getting some more information about the X3D technology, as we have the first codename of the processor that is featuring this advanced packaging technology. According to David Schor, we have learned that AMD is working on a CPU that uses X3D tech with stacked dies, and it is called Milan-X.

    Reply
30. June 1, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Intel reiterates chip supply shortages could last several years
    https://www.reuters.com/technology/intel-reiterates-chip-supply-shortages-could-last-several-years-2021-05-31/

    Intel Corp’s (INTC.O) CEO said on Monday it could take several years for a global shortage of semiconductors to be resolved, a problem that has shuttered some auto production lines and is also being felt in other areas, including consumer electronics.

    Reply
31. June 2, 2021 at 5:28 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Why There are Now So Many Shortages (It’s Not COVID)
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b1JlYZQG3lI&feature=share

    Why the World is Running Out of Computers
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IOvqN23Sr4o

    Reply
32. June 2, 2021 at 7:51 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12229-ddr5-tulee-jo-teollisuuteen

    DDR5-muistit ovat vihdoin tulossa kuluttajien käyttöön, mutta nyt nopeammasta muistista päästään nauttimaan myös teollisuuden sovelluksissa. Apacer esittelee virtuaalisen, koko kesäkuun kestävän Computex-näyttelyn aikana useita uutuuksia teollisuuden käyttöön.

    Niin SODIMM-, UDIMM- ja RDIMM-formaatissa tarjottavat muistimoduulit tukevat kaikki 4800 megatavun datansiirtonopeutta. Ne tukevat Intelin Eagle Stream- ja AMD:n Zen4 EPYC Genoa -palvelinalustoja.

    Reply
33. June 2, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    TSMC Shares 3nm Power and Performance Gains & Details For Potential 2nm Design
    https://wccftech.com/tsmc-shares-3nm-power-and-performance-gains-details-for-potential-2nm-design/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

    The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) shared the latest details about its leading-edge manufacturing nodes today. TSMC’s statements came at its 2021 Online Technology Symposium, which kicked off earlier today. At the event, TSMC’s senior vice president of research and development, Dr. Yuh Jier Mii, shared details about the fab’s latest semiconductor manufacturing processes, including its N6, N5, N4 and N3 process nodes. These include information about the processes’ defect densities, yields and production timelines.

    TSMC Outlines Strong Customer Adoption For It N3 (3nm) Process Node – Expects New Tape Outs To Be Double Over Predecessor

    Commenting on TSMC’s N6 process node, Dr. Mii outlined that this process improves logic density by 18% over its N7 (7nm) process and uses more layers with extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) during the production process. He also stated that the N6 node would account for roughly half of TSMC’s N7 output by the end of this year, as products using the process are in high-volume production.

    Delving deeper into TSMC’s progress with the N3 process node, Dr. Mii stated that 3nm would improve power consumption or performance over the first generation of its N5 family. The first generation N5 node is TSMC’s 5nm process, which has already entered mass production. This process is followed by N4, which, compared to N5, offers a 6% smaller chip die, improves power consumption and performance and uses fewer masks during the production process.

    Reply
34. June 2, 2021 at 2:36 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11679-yllatys-korona-ei-rokottanut-puolijohdealaa

    Reply
35. June 2, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11681-poytakone-kuihtuu-lappari-vetaa#ETNartikel

    Reply
36. June 3, 2021 at 11:50 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Obsolescence by design hampers computer systems
    https://www.edn.com/obsolescence-by-design-hampers-computer-systems/

    Reply
37. June 4, 2021 at 8:47 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Texas Instruments Continues As World’s Top Analog IC Supplier
    https://www.icinsights.com/news/bulletins/Texas-Instruments-Continues-As-Worlds-Top-Analog-IC-Supplier/

    Skyworks Solutions posts strongest sales increase in 2020 as the top-10 suppliers collectively accounted for 62% of total analog sales.

    Analog ICs remain a critical component in nearly all of today’s digital-centric systems. Consumer, computing, communications, automotive, and industrial/medical systems rely on analog devices to manage power consumption and to help extend battery life in portable devices.

    IC Insights’ April Update to the 2021 McClean Report ranked the leading analog IC suppliers for 2020 (Figure 1). Collectively, these 10 companies accounted for $35.4 billion in analog IC sales and represented 62% of the total $57.0 billion analog market last year, the same share they held in 2019.

    Reply
38. June 4, 2021 at 9:55 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12239-amd-n-3d-rakenne-mullistaa-prosessorit

    Viime vuosina AMD on monen mielestä mennyt jo Intelin ohi teknisessä kehityksessä. Computex-messujen virtuaalisessa keynote-puheessa yhtiön pääjohtaja Lisa Su esitteli tekniikkaa, joka aiheuttaa taatusti nikotuksia Intelin päämajassa. Uusi 3D-kotelointitekniikka kasvattaa tiheyttä, ja parantaa lämmönjohtumista.

    Tällä hetkellä AMD valmistaa prosessorejaan 7 nanometrin prosessissa ja ensi vuonna alkaa monissa tuotelinjoilla jo 5 nanometrin viivanleveyden hyödyntäminen TSMC:n linjoilla. Copumtex-puheessaan Lisa Su kuitenkin esitteli uutta kotelotekniikkaa, joka voi olla vaikutuksiltaan vielä dramaattisempi kuin hyppääminen valmistussukupolvesta seuraavaan.

    AMD kutsuu tekniikkaa nimellä 3D chiplets packaging. ”Chipletit” ovat prosessorilohkoja, jotka AMD esitteli vuonna 2019. Tuolloin tekniikka mahdollisti eri viivanleveyksillä valmistettujen CPU-ydinten ja IO-liitäntöjen istuttamisen samaan koteloon. Nyt yhdessä TSMC:n kanssa on kehitetty 3D-chiplettien pinoamis- ja kotelointitekniikka.

    Reply
39. June 7, 2021 at 4:24 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    While some of us are still clinging onto our favorite 8-bit microprocessors, ARM announced they will be killing off the 32-bit architecture in 2022 and/or 2023. Over on the GaryExplains YouTube channel, posted a great review of the current 32- vs 64-bit state-of-affairs — not just for ARM but for Intel and AMD processors as well. And it’s a dismal outlook for you 32-bit fans….

    https://hackaday.com/2021/06/06/is-32-bits-really-dead/

    Reply
40. June 7, 2021 at 7:18 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Sam Shead / CNBC:
    Chip factories use a lot of water, but AZ attracts them with an established chip ecosystem, seismic stability, and pro-business stance, despite its arid climate

    Why Intel and TSMC are building water-dependent chip factories in one of the driest U.S. states
    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/04/why-intel-tsmc-are-building-water-dependent-chip-plants-in-arizona.html

    The Grand Canyon State may not seem like the most obvious place for a chip “foundry” or “fab” since the high-tech manufacturing plants guzzle millions of gallons of water every day.
    Arizona received just 13.6 inches of rainfall on average per year between 1970 and 2000, according to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center, making it the fourth driest state nationwide.
    Intel notes on its website that it is striving to achieve “net positive water use” in Arizona and that it has funded 15 water restoration projects that aim to benefit the state

    The biggest semiconductor manufacturers in the world are quickly trying to build new factories as the global chip crisis continues to wreak havoc on a plethora of industries.

    U.S. semiconductor giant Intel announced in March that it plans to spend $20 billion on two new chip plants in Arizona. Separately, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) said it was going to build a $12 billion factory in Arizona, and chief executive C.C. Wei said Wednesday that construction had already begun.

    The Grand Canyon State may not, however, seem like the most obvious place for a chip “foundry” or “fab” since the high-tech manufacturing plants guzzle millions of gallons of water every day.

    At present, in the face of climate change, Arizona is facing a deepening water crisis and some of the state’s all-important aquifers have an uncertain future.

    Arizona received just 13.6 inches of rainfall on average per year between 1970 and 2000, according to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center, making it the fourth driest state nationwide.

    “Water is a key element in semi manufacturing, but the infrastructure has been put in place [in Arizona] to ensure adequate supply to meet the industry’s current needs,” Alan Priestley, vice president analyst at tech research firm Gartner, told CNBC.

    A key consideration of any new construction would most likely be contributions to enhancing the water supply infrastructure, he added.

    Glenn O’Donnell, vice president and research director at analyst firm Forrester, told CNBC that chip fabrication plants “recycle water religiously,” adding that it’s a bit like a swimming pool in an enclosed building.

    “You need a lot to fill it, but you don’t have to add much to keep it going,” he said. “Also, being in an enclosed space, a lot of the water that evaporates can be captured with a dehumidifier and returned to the pool. The fabs will do similar things with their own water usage.”

    Intel notes on its website that it is striving to achieve “net positive water use” in Arizona and that it has funded 15 water restoration projects that aim to benefit the state. “Once fully implemented, these projects will restore an estimated 937 million gallons each year,” the company says.

    Reply
41. June 7, 2021 at 8:42 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Harry Dempsey / Financial Times:
    The chief supply chain officer at Flex, the world’s 3rd-largest electronics manufacturer, says the global chip shortage will likely last until mid- to late-2022 — Forecast from Singapore-based Flex comes as scarcity forces carmakers to scale back production

    Chip shortage to last until at least mid-2022, warns manufacturer
    Forecast from Singapore-based Flex comes as scarcity forces carmakers to scale back production
    https://www.ft.com/content/04858089-fbe7-44f1-b096-8e705c664f8e

    The global chip shortage disrupting the car industry and threatening the supply of consumer technology products will last for at least another year, one of the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturers has warned.

    The forecast from Flex, the world’s third-biggest such manufacturer, is one of the gloomiest yet for a crisis that is forcing car and consumer electronics groups to re-examine their global supply chains.

    A rapid rebound in vehicle sales combined with a lockdown-driven boom in games consoles, laptops and televisions has left the world’s chipmakers overwhelmed by the sharp increase in demand.

    Singapore-based Flex has more than 100 sites in 30 countries and manufactures devices and electronics for companies including Ford, British household appliances designer Dyson, UK online grocer Ocado and US computer and printer maker HP. Its position in the supply chain makes it a large buyer of chips.

    Lynn Torrel, Flex’s chief procurement and supply chain officer, said that the manufacturers it relies on for semiconductors have pushed back their forecasts for when the shortage will end.

    “With such strong demand, the expectation is mid to late-2022 depending on the commodity. Some are expecting [shortages to continue] into 2023,” she said.

    The forecast from Flex, which sits at the heart of the supply chains for the car, medical devices and consumer electronics industries, follows a bruising six months during which shortages have forced car companies to scale back production and furlough staff.

    The issue has led many companies to adopt a more assertive approach to sourcing, such as paying for chips in advance. Tesla, the US electric-car maker, has explored buying a chip plant outright.

    Electronics manufacturers in Asia have also recently warned that the chip shortage was beginning to spread to TVs, smartphones and home appliances, with the situation made worse through stockpiling by Chinese groups hit by sanctions.

    Pandemic-related problems with supply chains have been compounded by the blocking of the Suez Canal in March, the extreme cold weather in Texas, and a recent fire at a large chip factory in Japan.

    Reply
42. June 8, 2021 at 9:29 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bosch opens $1.2 billion chip plant in Germany
    https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/07/bosch-opens-1-2-billion-chip-plant-in-germany/?tpcc=ECFB2021

    Germany technology and parts supplier Robert Bosch opened a €1 billion ($1.2 billion) chip factory in Dresden, Germany on Monday, the single largest investment in the company’s history. The plant, which will mainly supply automotive customers, is a major signal that connected and electric vehicles are here to stay.

    “Regardless of which powertrain we talk about … always we need a semiconductor and sensor,” Bosch’s executive vice president of automotive electronics Jens Fabrowsky told TechCrunch.

    The plant will handle front-of-the-line processing, or wafer fabrication, in the semiconductor manufacturing process. The 300-millimeter wafers will be sent to partners, typically in Asia, to do packaging and assembly of the semiconductors.

    300 millimeters is a “new field of technology,” Fabrowsky explained. As opposed to the 150- or 200-millimeter wafers that are produced at Bosch’s nearby factory in Reutlingen, Germany, the larger wafer size offers greater economies of scale because you can produce more individual chips per wafer.

    The 77,500-square-foot plant will run on what Bosch calls “AIoT,” a term that combines artificial intelligence and Internet of Things to denote a fully connected and data-driven system that’s unique to the facility. Bosch will not only have real-time data on the approximately 100 machines, but also on the power, water and other aspects of the facility — up to 500 pages of data per second, Fabrowsky said. The AI-driven algorithm should detect an anomaly from any of the connected sensors immediately.

    Reply
43. June 8, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    CPU manufacturers are pushing the boundaries of what modern manufacturing can accomplish, and it’s beginning to cause a few problems for other companies.

    CPU Manufacturers Are Pushing the Boundaries of CMOS and Starting to Pay For It
    https://www.extremetech.com/computing/323476-cpu-manufacturers-are-pushing-the-boundaries-of-cmos-and-starting-to-pay-for-it?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

    CPUs almost never fail. Out of all the components in a given PC, the CPU has historically been one of the least likely to suffer a failure. This has not yet changed — but there’s troubling evidence suggesting that as process nodes shrink, reliability is becoming tougher for AMD and Intel to guarantee.

    Google researchers have published a paper describing what they call “mercurial” cores. Mercurial cores are cores that are subject to what Google calls “corrupt execution errors,” or CEEs. One critical component of CEEs is that they are silent.

    Reply
44. June 9, 2021 at 6:17 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Makena Kelly / The Verge:
    Senate passes bill providing $52B for domestic semiconductor manufacturing, a 30% NSF funding bump, and $29B for science directorate; bill now heads to House — The funding is on track to meet Biden’s chip goals — This story is part of a group of stories called

    Senate approves billions for US semiconductor manufacturing
    The funding is on track to meet Biden’s chip goals
    https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/8/22457293/semiconductor-chip-shortage-funding-frontier-china-competition-act?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

    After months of political jockeying and procedural hurdles, the Senate approved a massive science and technology bill Tuesday to boost US competitiveness with China. The bill invests billions into emerging technology industries like artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum computing in the US.

    The bill — titled the US Innovation and Competition Act or USICA — builds off a previous proposal from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the Endless Frontier Act. Endless Frontier was lauded as one of the first big bipartisan bills to come from the Biden administration. But over the last few months, the bill, which was seen as a must-pass piece of legislation for both parties, was bloated with political mush and much of the original funding was watered down as it moved through the Senate process.

    In its current form, the bill provides $52 billion for domestic semiconductor manufacturing, as well as a 30 percent boost in funding for the National Science Foundation and $29 billion for a new science directorate to focus on applied sciences.

    Reply
45. June 9, 2021 at 6:18 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Christina Wilkie / CNBC:
    Biden admin announces steps to bolster US supply chains, including for chips and rare earth metals, and a “strike force” to combat unfair trade practices — – The Biden administration announces new actions designed to strengthen critical U.S. supply chains.

    Biden administration announces plans to strengthen critical supply chains
    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/08/biden-administration-announces-plans-to-strengthen-critical-supply-chains.html

    The Biden administration announces new actions designed to strengthen critical U.S. supply chains.
    They include plans to develop a domestic lithium battery manufacturing industry, as well as to mine and process rare earth minerals.
    They also include a USTR “strike force” to combat “unfair foreign trade practices” that the White House says have contributed to the erosion of supply chains around the world.

    WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced a series of steps it will take in order to strengthen critical U.S. supply chains, building up domestic manufacturing capabilities for key products and addressing existing vulnerabilities.

    President Joe Biden in February ordered a 100-day interagency review of domestic supply chains.

    The outcome of this review and the resulting policy recommendations make up a new report totaling several hundred pages, which was released on Tuesday.

    The report’s initial recommendations focus on four products critical to the U.S. economy: large capacity lithium batteries, rare earth minerals, semiconductors and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

    Large capacity lithium batteries: The Department of Energy is aiming to release a 10-year plan to develop a domestic lithium battery supply chain capable of producing the batteries that power electric vehicles. The agency’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program will distribute $17 billion in an effort to support new research and manufacturing efforts in the United States.
    Rare earth minerals: The Department of Interior will lead a task force to identify sites where critical minerals could be produced and processed in the United States.” The report said the U.S. will develop the capacity for “sustainable production, refining, and recycling” of the 17 rare earth metals used in cellphones, cars and magnets, while meeting high environmental standards.
    Semiconductors: As the nation grapples with a chip shortage that has idled major auto manufacturing plants, the White House said it will work with the private sector to increase supply-chain transparency.
    Advanced pharmaceutical ingredients: The Department of Health and Human Services will use authority granted under the Defense Production Act to commit approximately $60 million to “develop novel platform technologies to increase domestic manufacturing capacity for API.”

    Reply
46. June 9, 2021 at 8:59 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Overreactions to the chip shortage could be pretty dire, according to analysts.

    Nvidia, AMD and Intel could be ‘lured into’ dire chip shortage overcompensations
    https://www.pcgamer.com/chip-shortage-warning-analyst/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow

    Memories of 2018′s market crash.

    With the pandemic having sent the world into a tech buying frenzy, the chips inside our PC components have all but passed into myth. And as manufacturers scramble to fill the gap in supply, Jon Peddie Research has issued a warning about the dangers of overcompensation.

    “The risk,” says Peddie, “is that semiconductor suppliers will be lured into over-reaction and believe that suddenly 100s of millions of new users have appeared and the demand will stay high. That’s not only not realistic, it’s also not true—where are they coming from—not this planet?”

    This may be a pessimistic outlook, but it is grounded in experience.

    While this may be the first time a global pandemic has impacted a chip shortage, it’s not the first time we’ve seen an overreaction to increased demand. Back in 2018 we witnessed Nvidia stock (among others) plummet due to sales falling short of expectation and a crash in cryptocurrency-related GPU sales.

    Now, we’re just coming out of a similar spike—this time thanks to a host of intermingling factors that toppled the market to form the tragic state of PC building we’re in today—and investors are all aflutter in the fallout.

    But Jon Peddie and company are convinced that pandering to the increased demand is a bit of a trap. Nvidia and AMD certainly appear to be a little more hesitant to throw their lot in with cryptocurrency demand than they once were, so perhaps they’re already well-aware of the potential dangers ahead.

    Reply
47. June 10, 2021 at 8:37 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    IBM’s allegedly trying to “extract an outlandish payment” from GlobalFoundries. https://trib.al/ycDZY4f

    IBM accused of chasing ‘a quick payday’ with $2.5B damages against AMD’s OG chip maker
    By Dave James about 21 hours ago
    https://www.pcgamer.com/globalfoundries-sues-ibm/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com

    GlobalFoundries claims IBM is only now stalking it for damages over an alleged contract violation because it’s going public.

    Reply
48. June 10, 2021 at 11:39 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Why Intel and TSMC are building water-dependent chip factories in one of the driest U.S. states
    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/04/why-intel-tsmc-are-building-water-dependent-chip-plants-in-arizona.html

    The Grand Canyon State may not seem like the most obvious place for a chip “foundry” or “fab” since the high-tech manufacturing plants guzzle millions of gallons of water every day.

    Arizona received just 13.6 inches of rainfall on average per year between 1970 and 2000, according to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center, making it the fourth driest state nationwide.
    Intel notes on its website that it is striving to achieve “net positive water use” in Arizona and that it has funded 15 water restoration projects that aim to benefit the state

    Reply
49. June 10, 2021 at 12:43 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Graphics card shortage: When will it end?
    https://www.dailysabah.com/life/graphics-card-shortage-when-will-it-end/news

    If you are considering building your own flashy PC soon, be aware that winter has already arrived, even if it’s blazing hot outside

    The most basic principle of economics, the law of supply and demand, applies especially well to graphics cards at the moment. Prices have skyrocketed as stock has dried up.

    The situation surrounding the video card shortage – which is so severe these days that arguments break out in tech stores that still manage to sell the product – is not just caused by the negative consequences of the pandemic itself. The current global apocalypse sure accounts for a fair share of the effect – it may even be the first reason for the shortage. But as I said, there is more to it than that.

    Let’s take a look at the reasons and try to work out whether the shortage will end any time soon.

    Video cards – “to the moon”
    “To the moon” is like a catchphrase among cryptocurrency investors. They express their hope by saying, for example, “Dogecoin to the moon” – especially when Tesla and SpaceX mastermind Elon Musk shares a picture of his dog, live streams eating a hotdog or barks or something.

    I’m all for cryptocurrencies – I’m sure they have great potential. But please, bitcoin people, don’t mess with our graphics cards.

    The GeForce maker has recently announced that the global video card shortage will continue throughout 2021. What’s worse, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and processor maker Intel also warned that the shortage may continue all the way through 2022.

    Considering the state of the pandemic and these announcements by major companies, the near future seems grim to be honest. For at least a couple more years, the entry-level to mid-tier graphics card market will probably be dominated by the GTX 1030s, and high-power cards such as the RTX series will be even scarcer.

    Even though the near future is not too bright, every shortage ends one way or another in this world order. As Turks ironically joke: “There is no shortage of solutions in capitalism.”

    Yes, the current shortage will end too, albeit not in a very short time. Nowadays, waiting seems like the only option for gamers, besides hoping and praying.

    Reply
50. June 10, 2021 at 5:59 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.edn.com/obsolescence-by-design-hampers-computer-systems/

    Reply