But, while that may sound a touch doom-and-gloom, keep in mind that the “chip shortage” is a complicated, dynamic phenomenon that does not affect every type of chip at every moment. As time passes, some industries and parts have been struck more than others. In reality, Intel’s own CPUs are doing admirably. “For the first time in years, Intel fabs and substrate supply are on the verge of fulfilling our customers’ demand,” Gelsinger said during the company’s Q1 2022 earnings call yesterday.
When Gelsinger believes the scarcity will last until 2024, he’s referring to the industry’s capacity to meet the demand for new goods manufactured on new lines, rather than merely existing ones. “As an IDM, we expect the industry to have problems in areas such as foundry capacity and tool availability until at least 2024,” he stated on yesterday’s call. According to Digitimes, chipmaking equipment vendors are now backed up for more than 18 months, up from six months just last year.
