BBC: How will 'chipageddon' affect you?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

How will 'chipageddon' affect you?
BBC World News
By Leo Kelion, Technology desk editor

Read here: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55936011

(snips)

There was a hint of the problem last year when gamers struggled to buy new graphics cards, Apple had to stagger the release of its iPhones, and the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles came nowhere close to meeting demand.

Then, just before Christmas, it emerged the resurgent car industry was facing what one insider called "chipageddon". New cars often include more than 100 microprocessors - and manufacturers were quite simply unable to source them all. Since then, one technology company after another has warned they too face constraints.
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The consultancy AlixPartners has forecast the automotive industry will lose $64bn (£47bn) of sales because it has had to close or reduce output.
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That has raised concern in the States, where one lobby group called the current crisis the "canary in the coal mine" for future supply-line shortages. And a group of 15 senators has written to President Biden urging him to take action to "incentivise the domestic production of semiconductors in the future".

Thirty or forty years ago, who would have dreamed American auto production could be restrained over shortages of tiny semiconductor chips made in foreign lands?

I'm currently researching the build of a new computer for my granddaughter with a good graphics card for video editing and will likely feel the sting of this issue. Those devices, solid-state drives and memory modules are very pricey right now.

Just another inflationary effect of COVID-19 that will not disappear anytime soon.

KY..........

[Silent3]

1. I prefer "The Great Chip Dip" myself n/t

[Hortensis]

2. Huh? :) I'd have to ask our grandchildren, or their purchasing agents

(i.e., their parents). Itm, thanks for the clueless-heads up. Birthdays this spring.

[ret5hd]

3. Maybe they could make toasters and refrigerators...

that don’t have internet and Bluetooth connections.

Just sayin’.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Whatever happened to KISS ?

WHY does any vehicle need 100 microprocessors ? Let me guess -- lazy designers more concerned with rapid model turnover and consumer appeal than with actual functioning of the vehicle.

[lagomorph777]

6. Many of them support frills like fancy seats and crap.

Some are safety-related (collision avoidance and active suspensions).
Some are essential for efficient operation (whether the car is internal combustion or electric powered).

[lagomorph777]

5. We did a fancy PC build late summer/early fall; just made it ahead of the shortages.

Whew.

There is some fairly good news though. Very high-end GPUs and very high-end CPUs are indeed, nearly impossible to get. But if you go down a step or two from the top of the line, latest generation, you can still build a very good PC. My wife did some searches last night and found many very good CPUs at fair prices. Low-end or mid-grade GPUs are still out there too.

For video editing (the purpose of her PC) the GPU may not be important at all. For example, Adobe Premiere barely touches the GPU at all; it really only uses the CPU. Other video editor software does use the GPU for some operations; can still use the CPU or a lower GPU and work OK.

I'd start soon though; this is likely to continue to get worse for a while.

A lot of the problem is cryptocurrency miners buying up GPUs by the boatload and using them en masse. What a freaking waste, all to generate counterfeit money.

[BannonsLiver]

7. Cue the "well they don't make them like they used to" guy

“My 77 Cutlas doesn’t have a single microchip and runs like a top. Why would I want a rolling computer?”

We already got close with “lazy designer” guy upthread.