PC component supply nightmare could soon end... except for graphics cards - SociallyKeeda

PC elements could soon see a significantly better scenario when it comes to supply assembly demand in accordance with a brand new report – however a couple of areas could nonetheless stay troublesome to an extent, together with graphics cards.

As noticed by Tom’s Hardware, Counterpoint Research not too long ago printed stats on world PC shipments (which fell 4.3% yr-on-yr in Q1 2023), full with an remark that the component scarcity could be very a lot set to ease within the second half of this yr.

The Counterpoint report states: “Since late 2021, demand-supply gaps have been narrowing, signaling an approaching end to supply tightness across the broader ecosystem. Among all PCs and laptops, the supply gap for the most important components such as power management ICs, Wi-Fi and I/O interface IC has narrowed.”

In reality, as we head in the direction of H2 2023, simply 4 areas of the broader PC component market will stay brief on supply, and even these will solely be round 10% adrift of assembly demand going by Counterpoint’s estimates (whereas in 2021, supply was falling in need of demand by as much as 20% and even 30% in some areas, inflicting massive issues as we’ve seen most clearly with graphics cards final yr).

Sadly, a type of areas of difficulty that could stay a thorny prospect which the report highlights is GPUs, with supply nonetheless not predicted to fulfill demand later in 2023. Other downside areas shall be Power Management Integrated Circuit for LCDs (displays), in addition to some motherboard elements and Wi-Fi chips.

Analysis: GPU scenario nonetheless appears promising sufficient to us

The main space of concern for the PC ecosystem right here, then, is that graphics cards usually are not flagged for a full restoration this yr. But then, a full return to regular is one factor, and a maybe marginal (sub-10%) supply deficit – perhaps inside sure classes or value brackets of GPU – ought to nonetheless enable pricing to very a lot normalize, by and huge, and take the wind out of the sails (and gross sales) of scalpers.

We’d additionally warning towards studying an excessive amount of into this guestimate of GPU availability anyway, because the report is a really generalized prediction right here – a broad overview of the upcoming state of your complete component market – and we’ve already seen fairly a couple of indicators elsewhere that the graphics card market is making one thing of a restoration already, properly earlier than H2 of 2023 kicks in. Those can’t be ignored.

Also, it’s the second half of the yr which each AMD and Nvidia have brazenly acknowledged that we must always see significantly better GPU inventory ranges coming via, plus we additionally shouldn’t neglect that Intel is coming to the discrete graphics card market as properly with its Arc desktop choices (inside the subsequent couple of months in concept). That in itself will trigger an uptick in inventory and may stoke competitivity with pricing, too (although the extent of the influence on value tags could rely on precisely what tack Intel takes, and the way a lot manufacturing Team Blue can muster).

In our books, issues look optimistic sufficient for GPUs to soon be largely out of the woods we’ve been caught in for far too lengthy now – not that there aren’t potential risks forward for all PC elements after we have a look at the scenario in China of late, with more supply chain disruption being attributable to Covid lockdowns.

Equally, there are different forces to contemplate on the demand facet of the equation when it comes to inflation and potential drops in spending, with weak point in shopper demand already noticed by Counterpoint in these falling PC cargo ranges, and for instance Chromebooks shedding gross sales momentum. So, to some extent, the supply and demand seesaw may also be righting itself with a lightening of the latter load…