NVIDIA Devouring Chips Faster than South Korea's Supply, Lowest Inventory in 10 Years

[Nomad76]

South Korea's stock of semiconductor chips dropped more than it has since 2014. This big decrease shows that customers are buying chips faster than companies can make them, as they need more equipment for developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Official data released on May 31 revealed that in April, chip inventories fell by 33.7% compared to a year earlier - the largest drop since late 2014. This is the fourth month in a row that inventories have declined, while at the same time South Korea's exports of semiconductors have gone up again. Additionally, South Korea's production of chips rose 22.3% in April, which is less than the 30.2% increase from the previous month. Shipments from factories grew 18.6%, also lower than March's 16.4% growth.

South Korea is home to the two biggest memory chipmakers in the world (Samsung and SK Hynix), and they are competing to supply chips to NVIDIA, the latest having an insatiable appetite for more and more chips. These two Korean companies are in a race to develop a more advanced and more profitable version of high-bandwidth memory, or HBM. During the memory chip boom from 2013-2015, inventories didn't increase for about a year and a half. In the 2016-2017 cycle, inventory declines lasted nearly a year. A report from South Korea's central bank expects the latest surge in chip demand to continue at least until the first half of next year. This is because the "artificial intelligence boom" is driving up demand similarly to how cloud servers caused an expansion in 2016, and now mostly forgotten crypto-mining fever. South Korea will release its latest export data on June 1.



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[64K]

This is what has me concerned about chips solely for gaming. The AI craze is going to soak up production for chips because of the much better profit margins and dry up supplies for gamers just like the mining craze did but possibly far worse. Once again MSRP could be utterly meaningless as scalpers move in and drive prices up to 3X more due to shortages.

 

[Nomad76]

This is what has me concerned about chips solely for gaming. The AI craze is going to soak up production for chips because of the much better profit margins and dry up supplies for gamers just like the mining craze did but possibly far worse. Once again MSRP could be utterly meaningless as scalpers move in and drive prices up to 3X more due to shortages.

Not to mention https://www.techpowerup.com/322792/...a-tariffs-on-china-made-gpus-and-motherboards

What happens in Vegas, really don't stay in Vegas. But let us hope.. really had no intention of entering into panic mode

 

[Vayra86]

This is what has me concerned about chips solely for gaming. The AI craze is going to soak up production for chips because of the much better profit margins and dry up supplies for gamers just like the mining craze did but possibly far worse. Once again MSRP could be utterly meaningless as scalpers move in and drive prices up to 3X more due to shortages.

Key difference here, you dont earn bitcoin with AI. And you dont need a gpu to use it.

 

[Kyan]

This is what has me concerned about chips solely for gaming. The AI craze is going to soak up production for chips because of the much better profit margins and dry up supplies for gamers just like the mining craze did but possibly far worse. Once again MSRP could be utterly meaningless as scalpers move in and drive prices up to 3X more due to shortages.

One difference is that AI is not that usable on AMD GPU right now, so there is probably a way to get a gpu for gaming.

 

[Firedrops]

A bit funny how this article with the lowest inventory in ever comes immediately after the article with Samsung's reassurance that there's plenty of supply. I know they're not mutually exclusive, just a bit funny.

One difference is that AI is not that usable on AMD GPU right now, so there is probably a way to get a gpu for gaming.

You can forget about that difference because AMD will continue pricing their GPUs as if they are just the smallest smidge behind nvidia in RT, DLSS, and AI.

 

[64K]

You can forget about that difference because AMD will continue pricing their GPUs as if they are just the smallest smidge behind nvidia in RT, DLSS, and AI.

That's what I think as well for the gaming GPU market. Next year could see some stupid high prices on gaming cards again from all sides especially if the upper end GPUs can be used as cheap alternatives to professional cards.

 

[Onasi]

Not sure why people rushed to discuss gaming cards here. The news article is talking about HBM supplies. I hate to break it to you, my good friends, but we aren’t getting HBM in consumer cards again. Probably ever.

 

[Kyan]

You can forget about that difference because AMD will continue pricing their GPUs as if they are just the smallest smidge behind nvidia in RT, DLSS, and AI.

That's sad indeed

 

[Wirko]

When all these chips start doing their work, AI datacenters will devour the entire world's electricity production at prices consumers won't be even able to pay anymore.

 

[64K]

Not sure why people rushed to discuss gaming cards here. The news article is talking about HBM supplies. I hate to break it to you, my good friends, but we aren’t getting HBM in consumer cards again. Probably ever.

The first paragraph of the article refers to semiconductor chips. The second specifically addresses memory chips. I took the article overall to be referring to chip supplies in general which is what people have been expecting ever since the AI craze began.

 

[tommo1982]

Perhaps I'm ignorant, but what's all the hype about concerning AI? I don't know why they need it so badly, and honestly don't care. Warching it from a back seet it look like another bubble waiting to burst. Makes me wonder, what's the next thing they'll get so excited about to buy blindly.

 

[bug]

That graph is made to draw you to a predefined conclusion. What the data really says is that there was a period of inventory growth and now that's over. Nothing unusual, really.

 

[kondamin]

I still remember how they cut production with 90% last year or was it the year before.

 

[neatfeatguy]

Not to mention https://www.techpowerup.com/322792/...a-tariffs-on-china-made-gpus-and-motherboards

What happens in Vegas, really don't stay in Vegas. But let us hope.. really had no intention of entering into panic mode

For now, the tariffs have been pushed back for a year.

Graphics card and motherboard China import tariffs pushed back by another year

After re-reading the USTR's latest decision regarding tariff exemptions on printed circuit boards (PCBs) imported from China, PCMag reports that they won't expire this week as previously...

www.techspot.com

 

[Nomad76]

For now, the tariffs have been pushed back for a year.

Graphics card and motherboard China import tariffs pushed back by another year

After re-reading the USTR's latest decision regarding tariff exemptions on printed circuit boards (PCBs) imported from China, PCMag reports that they won't expire this week as previously...

www.techspot.com

Pfeeewww, that was close. A glimpse of hope, let's hope it will never happen.

 

[Minus Infinity]

New Netflix series coming out of Korea called "Parasyte the Green"

 

[Prima.Vera]

This is what has me concerned about chips solely for gaming. The AI craze is going to soak up production for chips because of the much better profit margins and dry up supplies for gamers just like the mining craze did but possibly far worse. Once again MSRP could be utterly meaningless as scalpers move in and drive prices up to 3X more due to shortages.

Wouldn't worry too much. nGreedia will be the nr.1 scalper this time, no doubt about it. At MSRP