CPU shortage is 'getting more serious day by day, no less than the memory chip situation' according to an unnamed gaming PC company

A week ago or so, I flagged a report claiming that CPUs about to become the next chip class walloped by an AI-instigated shortage and spiralling prices. Now another source is making essentially the same claim but this time via at least two gaming PC maker.

Nikkei Asia reports that a supply crunch is hitting the PC and server CPU markets, leading to "an average price hike of between 10% to 15%" with some CPU model prices spiking even higher.

The outlet further claims that, "Intel and AMD have recently told clients they will increase prices for all series of CPUs from March and April, respectively." Lead times for CPU orders have likewise reportedly increased from one to two weeks to eight to 12 weeks, with some orders taking as long as six months to be filled.

Notably, Nikkei Asia says, "an executive with a gaming PC company said that the shortage of CPUs is expected to become worse in the April-June quarter." It quotes the executive saying, "Intel and AMD have prioritized capacity for server CPUs, and the supply for PCs has become less ... what PC players can get in Q2 is much less than the volume we got in Q1."

The same executive voiced fears that even with escalating prices, supplies will be tight. "What we worry about is that even if we pay more we still cannot get more. The CPU shortage is getting more serious day by day, no less than the memory chip situation," the source said.

What's more, Nikkei Asia also spoke to Jose Liao, general manager of systems business at Asus. Liao said mid-range x86 chips will be subject to the most acute supply crunch, with Intel tilting production in favour of high-end chips. "The supply gap is indeed widening and is expected to continue," he said.

Inevitably, the cause behind all this is said to be "surging" demand for AI computing. Nikkei Asia also says Intel commented that it has, "informed customers of planned pricing updates on select products, reflecting sustained demand, increased component and material costs, and evolving market dynamics."

As I reported in the story linked above, Intel has spoken previously of its difficulties keeping up with demand, in part thanks to the yields at it own chip production fabs. As for AMD, it is constrained by production capacity at manufacturing partner TSMC.

Arguably, what's slightly odd in all this from a gaming PC perspective is that Intel has just launched two new Arrow Lake Plus desktop CPUs and what's most remarkable about them is their notably low prices. The new Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus officially go on sale March 26 for $299 and $199, respectively.

If nothing else, it will be interesting to see what those chips are actually listed at by retailers, and if it is MSRP how long that lasts.

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