Both Intel and AMD have decided to reassure those who might buy processors, consumers and businesses, that the supply will not run out due to the coronavirus epidemic. The disruption caused by coronaviruses has become daily news, of course, and there have been plenty of stories in the tech world about how this could affect supply chains in the future; but apparently Intel and AMD won't have a problem. As Tom's Hardware reports, Intel, a company that may be of particular concern to some given its issues with producing enough pre-coronavirus processors of late, is maintaining a higher 90% time to delivery rate with its silicon. This is in accordance with a letter written by CEO Bob Swan, who noted that Intel has a pandemic management team (a crisis management team that was formed about 15 years ago) and that it has a strong global network in terms of supply. and production line. Swan said: "It includes safety and medical experts who work to protect the well-being of employees and minimize the spread of infection. "They are also working with local governments and public health organizations to implement their recommendations. In the past, the team has been successful in helping Intel manage global health issues such as bird flu, SARS, Ebola, Zika, and the H1N1 virus. "
World class supply chain
We also heard from AMD CEO Lisa Su writing a letter to customers saying the chipmaker is actively working to ensure continued supply, mitigating the impact of the virus epidemic on the company's global operations. . Su said AMD also has a "world-class global supply chain" and is "well positioned" to maintain supply, as noted by CRN. In addition to Intel, the CEO of AMD also stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of its employees during the epidemic. As many people isolate themselves and move to work from home, internet infrastructure has been strained in many countries, with increased use of streaming services to boot. As we've seen, Disney, Apple and Amazon have all recently taken the same step as Netflix and YouTube before it by lowering the video quality of their streaming offerings in Europe, to meet huge demand. Of course, that also means increased demand on the data centers that these companies and others rely on, and these data centers are likely looking to increase the number of servers and chips available to them. But according to Intel and AMD, there's no need to panic on the supply front... On the consumer side, PC sales are expected to drop significantly in the face of coronavirus disruption, as economic shocks and the job losses could make their presence felt, not to mention the disruption in deliveries. Despite potential declines in demand, there are still concerns that any further changes to the hardware supply chain could drive up the price of PCs (and components) for those willing to buy (and with many people) forced to. adopting a new work-from-home model, which could be a good number of people looking for new or improved devices). Ultimately, we don't have access to the crystal ball, which is necessary to see how all of these factors will play out in the long term, if the coronavirus disruption continues along the same lines in the future. but I hope that the guarantees from Intel and AMD will help to allay fears of dry supplies and possible price increases.