AMD graphics chip shortage hitting PC vendors
Offshore TSMC foundry slow to ramp up production of AMD's new 40-nanometer GPUs
By Sharon Gaudin
November 6, 2009 01:44 PM ET
Computerworld - An offshore Advanced Micro Devices Inc. foundry is having trouble ramping up on production of a new 40-nanometer graphics processing unit, forcing PC makers to delay shipments of desktop and laptop computers, AMD confirmed today.
The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC) is struggling to get up to speed manufacturing AMD's 5800 series, 40-nm GPUs (graphics processing units), according to Jim McGregor, an analyst at In-Stat. He added that the foundry is in full production but so far yields are below expectation.
Matt Davis, a spokesman for AMD, confirmed to
Computerworld that TSMC is having issues in ramping up production of the chips. He added that it's not clear how far behind the foundry is on production expectations.
"The design is sound. It's just a matter of trying to get TSMC to a point where they can yield. They're feeling the manufacturing crunch," said Davis. "We're a little bitter under yield but we're working back into a manufacturing schedule we want for these parts. TSMC can only kick them out so fast at this point."
Davis said that PC vendors are being affected but declined to say how many vendors are feeling the pinch or which ones. "It's the end of the whip," he added. "[The vendors] are going to have a hard time."
