Chip shortage is a serious problem

I’m not the most patient person.

So I’m beginning to get peeved about the Playstation 5, XBox Series X and new computer parts being difficult to purchase.

It’s been months of this, and my first thought is — what have companies done to fix the shortage?

I’ve got a bone to pick with those buying multitudes of limited items and flipping them online for two or three times the original price. We call those people scalpers.

To be fair, although they are part of the problem, it’s not their fault we have a shortage. It’s much more complicated than that.

My boyfriend, Justin, and I have been trying to get our hands on two graphics processing units (GPUs) since the latest model released in November. It’s now March, and we have yet to see one in stores or available readily online.

In the fall, we finally decided to bite the bullet and build our own PCs. We figured they could be multifunctional for office work and gaming.

Justin, a tech whiz, put together both our PCs. Both should be functioning just fine. Key word: “should.”

We weren’t planning on building a second PC, so when Justin built his black and red model, he borrowed an outdated GPU from a coworker. Despite having the older graphics card, his PC runs like a dream.

Sadly, the white and pastel pink tower sitting below my desk at home hasn’t even been touched since we assembled it in November. It won’t turn on without a GPU.

The model we’re looking for is an AMD Radeon rx6800 GPU. (Try saying that 10 times fast.) It retails about $600, which is a heavy sum, but try tripling that cost on eBay. We’re definitely not paying that price for one, much less two of them.

Likewise, each time the item is restocked online, it sells out within minutes. That’s partly because of the scalpers, but also because there’s a global chip shortage, something which I learned recently from a Washington Post article.

Computer chips are used in virtually everything from cars to plug-in appliances. They’re essential in the modern world.

The coronavirus pandemic played a part in the shortage. Parts of the economy shut down around the United States and consumers impulsively spent more online. The demand for products went up, and production went down.

But the shortage became an issue before COVID-19 hit the states. There are a number of reasons for this, including that 5G phones now use more computer chips. The trade war with China decreased some of our chip intake because about 10% of the world’s chip production comes from a Chinese government-owned semiconductor company, SMIC. Bitcoin demand even contributes to it.

Why not increase output? Production companies have done their best to do so, but computer chips — also known as semiconductors — have a special manufacturing process. A controlled environment and as much as two years are needed to produce a batch.

At present, it may take months or years before enough chips enter the market again.

The shortage reaches beyond a couple of frustrated gamers like Justin and me. It reaches a majority of consumers in the 21st century, and it’s a serious issue that likely won’t be solved any time soon.

Me, well, I just want to use my shiny new computer. But that also won’t be happening any time in the foreseeable future.