AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series of processors, including the mighty Ryzen 9 3900X, has been highly sought-after since its launch. But nearly three months out, it’s still difficult to find them in stock. One reason might be due to potential manufacturing delays which pose a threat to future supply levels on a few of AMD’s CPUs and GPUs utilizing the 7nm nodes.
The rumor first came to surface from DigiTimes. According to the report, AMD’s go-to computer parts manufacturer, TSMC, has reached its production limit and is struggling to meet the market demand. That’s thanks in part to the smartphone sector, with several smartphones (including the iPhone 11) using the node.
Because of the rising popularity of 7nm nodes, TSMC has had to increase its production lead time from two months to roughly six months to ensure it is keeping up with the high demand. Should this rumor come into fruition, TSMC’s extended lead time may pose a threat on the supply of AMD’s Navi GPUs (RX 5700 series) and or the Ryzen 3000 processors. The latter of which has shown to be a popular choice on the GPU market following its release.
It is important to note, however, that the potential shortage of these AMD products may not even occur. AMD is one of TSMC’s most prominent clients. It’s highly probable that the two have secured contracts to ensure there is a steady flow of AMD products coming through the pipeline. That makes sense given the recent launch of the RX 5700 line of graphics cards; it’s implausible that the shortage of the product is not foreseeable in the immediate future.
Of course, there is a potential roadblock in AMD’s future. If the company wanted to launch a new line of Navi GPUs, which we already know is in the works, it could run into further supply issues.
Another possibility is a delay on the long-awaited Ryzen Threadripper 3rd-generation processors, which we are hoping will still hit its 2019 release date. Given the CPU’s recently leaked performance test, the 3rd-gen Ryzen Threadripper 3000 processors could potentially be another highly sought after line of CPUs when it finally launches.
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