This isn’t going to end any time soon. TSMC makes just about decent piece of silicon now
AMD CPUS including the chips for both Xbox & PS5. Due to Intel bitching their own process modes they’re sniffing around trying to get their latest chips made by TSMC too.
Once you get away from TSMC who are now running nodes down to 5nm you have Intel stuck at 14nm (arguably maybe 10nm now) and then you get other companies who can’t keep up with the billions to keep shrinking stuff like Global Foundries, bigger chips use more silicon, fewer chips cut per wafer, puts costs up, causes electrical inefficiency (heat) and of course slows production.
Even Samsung can’t keep up producing Nvidia chips for their video cards
New foundries cost billions & take years to bring online so that’s not a short term answer either.
Car manufacturers tend to order fixed amounts & up till recently purchase extra space as needed unfortunately now there’s simply no space available so they can’t get orders placed & have to join a queue. Part of this problem is car manufacturers not planning ahead adequately because up till now its not been a problem, right?
Also going to a different foundry isn’t possible as each process node works differently so you can’t take the plans for your silicon on 7nm TSMC and ask Global Foundries to make it for you on 28nm. To do that you have to completely relay the chip out effectively starting again this takes 6-9 months so again not a short term option.
I suspect now Intel is opening their foundries to external contracts within 12 months we could see problems ease providing their prices aren’t too steep & providing they can deliver. Up till recently Intel foundries made Intel products but now investors are so heavily annoyed with Intel for dropping the ball year after year after year with node improvements (they’ve been stuck on 14nm for years now) that these investors are forcing kntel to look for additional revenue. I’m really hoping this is going to help ease production of silicon.
Unfortunately there are other issues not mentioned so far like raw supplies, quality silica, substrate materials etc so it’s really a conjunction of inconvenience.