The global chip shortage making it difficult to acquire new consoles and graphics cards could be coming to an end, but supplies will remain “tight” for now according to AMD’s CEO.
Speaking at the Code Conference 2021 (via The Verge (opens in new tab)), Lisa Su, CEO and president of hardware provider AMD said that the situation “will get better in 2022,” although supplies will remain “tight” through the end of this year and “likely tight” in the first half of next year.
Unfortunately, it’ll likely be a gradual shift “as more [production] plants come up” rather than a quick fix, but that’s certainly better than nothing. It’s been difficult to get hold of graphics cards created by both AMD and its biggest competitor in the gaming space, Nvidia, due to both a shortage of parts and a recent cryptocurrency boom. As more chips start to be manufactured and with factors like China’s recent crackdown on crypto mining (opens in new tab) – in which the country’s government declared the practice an “illegal financial activity” – in play, it should get significantly easier to find the parts you need for your next gaming PC.
Finding a PS5 or an Xbox Series X might also get easier, as the chips involved in graphics card manufacture are also used to make consoles. That said, Toshiba, which makes the power-regulating chips these electronics require, says that supplies might be slim until next September, and that some customers might be waiting until 2023 for their new tech.
Already planning your next rig? Here’s our list of the best PC graphics cards.