Global Chip Shortage Could Last Through 2022

It’s the worst time to try and pick out the parts for your next PC build. Actually, it’s the worst time to try to buy anything that involves a graphics card or processor. Major component manufacturers, including Nvidia, TSMC, and Intel, have confirmed the global chip shortage is unlikely to let up for…awhile.

In an earnings statement earlier this week, Nvidia said it expects supply shortages on its graphics cards for the rest of the year.

“Overall demand remains very strong and continues to exceed supply while our channel inventories remain quite lean,” the company said in its press release. “We expect demand to continue to exceed supply for much of this year.”

Intel’s CEO told the Washington Post that it would take a couple of years to help address the chip shortage currently affecting automotive manufacturing. The most prominent hit came from TSMC, the chip maker behind Apple, AMD, and Qualcomm’s processors. The company said it wouldn’t catch up on the backlog for two years.

“In 2023, I hope we can offer more capacity to support our customers,” CEO C.C. Wei told analysts in a conference call. “At that time, we’ll start to see the supply chain tightness release a little bit.

The current state of component availability looks grim, affecting everything from the availability of new graphics cards to processors to next-gen PlayStations and Xboxes. Apple’s iPad Pro could also be delayed because of a display supply issue. Throw in scalpers using bots to snatch up stock of the latest consumer electronics, this is clearly the worst time to buy anything even slightly gadget-related.

Chipmakers have been warning us about this for months, citing low supply and an inability to keep up with demand. At first it looked like the shortage would ease after the first half of the year, but with the latest forecasts from Nvidia, Intel, and TSMC, the situation looks more dire. President Biden is prioritizing the issue, even touting a new infrastructure proposal that would open up Intel chip factories in Arizona. Unfortunately, it’s still not likely to open in time to build a new rig any time soon.