AMD CPU shortage looms

AMD HAS TO SUPPLY millions of its products to Dell, as it was written (probably in blood) in that AMD-Dell contract signed in Mikey Dell's house a while ago.

However, it seems that channel is getting the wrong end of the stick, since we are hearing reports about shortages of AMD CPUs.

Typically, AMD claims it's quite normal that, "low-end CPUs are in shortage due to supply constraints and requests for CPUs with higher ASP". However, this time around, it's not the Sempr0ns missing in action. It's the Athlon single cores. And It's the Athlon dual-cores.

Hexus.Net, a site run by a red-faced, chair-running fellow ran a story last week which touched on one computer assembler and the way AMD is treating it.

And we hear that box builder is not alone.

We received e-mails from distributors spreaded across the globe that AMD cannot supply them with enough dual-core CPUs ordered by computer assembly stores. AMD is not supplying the channel and the channel is getting the hump. Many are asking how they can achieve Q4 sales targets if they're unable to get the CPUs in normal or higher quantities. Some are even mentioning Dell, comparing it to a black hole which eats all AMD can churn out.

Bear in mind that we're not talking about e-store and 20 CPUs on stock, but rather people who are trying to provide these stores. And with disties running on empty, smaller retail stores do not have the chance of stopping people from switching to the ramping-up Core 2 Duo.

I even performed a bit of an experiment of my own. This included buying AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ CPUs in San Francisco, Frankfurt and Zagreb. It seems that the total number of AMD dual-core CPUs in San Francisco is zero (everything on backorder, and two shops advised us to buy the CPUs off NewEgg), Frankfurt showed some potential with around 10 CPUs and Zagreb is give or take - zero.

Surely some mistake, right - two continents, three over-a-million-people-living cities and a scarce AMD CPU supply? In contrast, we had zero problems obtaining Conroe-powered Core 2 Duo E6600.

If you're a distie and don't have those problems, feel free to flame the author. µ