According to the Taiwanese media outlet, Digitimes, the supply of AMD’s Zen 3 based Cezanne mobile processors (Ryzen 5000 APUs) is going to be very limited right from launch later this quarter. The reasons for the shortage are multiple.
Firstly, TSMC’s 7nm supply is already stretched thin with all major products from AMD, including the Ryzen 3000 and 5000 desktop CPUs, Ryzen 4000 mobile APUs, Radeon RX 5000, and 6000 GPUs all being fabbed on the same node. In addition to these, both the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles are also being fabbed on the same node.
Sony expects to sell as many as 28 million PS5 consoles this year alone which in itself will demand a notable chunk of the 7nm capacity. Add to that the Xbox Series X|S SKUs and the existing Ryzen 3000, 4000, and 5000, and you should get at least 50 million chips. This is without including the Radeon 5000 and 6000 GPUs which are much larger dies and more expensive to produce.
In addition to the 7nm capacity, the ABF substrates which are a key component of modern microprocessors are also seeing major shortages for the coming fiscal year. As such, all major chipmakers including Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Apple, and Qualcomm will be vying for their share of the substrate, further pushing up prices and limiting supply.
