If you think the major global chip shortage is just a minor flaw in the global supply chain, Intel is here to bring you bad news. According to Pat Gelsinger, CEO of the company, the deficit could last “a few more years” as foundries fail to meet demand (h / t) Reuters).
The shortage has affected almost every area of the tech industry, from cars to smartphones to laptops. Intel isn’t the only company struggling to meet demand. In March Qualcomm announced that phone chipsets were also affected. The company also hoped the shortage would lessen by the end of 2021. A month later, Black Shark announced that its flagship series was out of stock, mainly due to the lack of chipsets.
Other large companies are also affected. According to reports in May, Samsung’s bread-and-butter deals also fell victim to the shortage. Two Galaxy A models equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G and 720G were delayed in key markets.
Aside from smartphones, the latest Xbox Series X / S, PlayStation 5, and Nvidia GPUs are still extremely hard to find in stock. When they are available, they are usually expensive.
The White House announced plans in February to resolve the chipset issues through an executive order. Intel is also planning new plants in Arizona to increase capacity. Recent revelations from Intel suggest that the outlook for customers and businesses in the years to come will remain pretty bleak despite the interventions.