To understand what this global shortage of computer chips means, you must first understand what the CPU (Central Processing Unit) does in a computer and how the chips play a big role within. Each chip contains many transistors- which is a semiconductor that amplifies electronic signals and electrical power. Tons of tiny, little transistors make up a processor, and there can be tens of millions of transistors on one chip. These pieces are aligned together to create an electrical signal. Several chips are then placed together with different amounts of memory storage space on them to create a CPU.
You may have noticed a little blue or silver sticker on your laptop. It says something like “Intel Core i7”, “Intel Celeron” or “Intel Core i3 10th Gen”. These describe the power or type or CPU in your system. Skycomp uses mainly i5 or i7, which are standard processors and can handle the powerful processing that most businesses require.
So now that you know a little bit about CPU’s, you understand that they are the ‘powerhouse’ of the cell- I mean computer.
So how did this chip shortage happen?
Short answer – COVID19.
But expanding on that, COVID19 caused factories with many employees working in the same room at the same time either come to a complete stop or cut down working load by more than half the capacity.
While all this was going on, many different chip manufacturers around the world were losing money and letting people go, meanwhile the demand for chips across the entire globe increased. It was the perfect storm to run out of chips and technology. Factories couldn’t produce them, all while consumers were busy hitting the “add to cart button.”
At some point the system ran out of steam, and to make matters worse, we also had the famous ship the “Ever Given” which stopped ships from entering the Suez Canal in March. This pushed back any hope of getting any technology any Amazon sorting facility near you.
Skycomp has been trying to keep our clients and team with the most up-to-date technology. But as many people know, technology does expire, parts wear out and eventually need replacing, even with the best components this can still happen. Technology can be dropped, damaged, have water spilt on it, etc – Life happens.
But Skycomp’s advice is patience. You will get your computer – one day. For now we can replace parts, and keep your machine running, but we recommend keeping the water (or wine glass…) away from the computer.
So, when you hear a wait time of 3-4 months (or worse) know that the manufacturers and your technology partners are doing everything they can to get that laptop in your hands.