A global shortage of printed circuit boards has led to an increase in supply chain issues for PC components. There may be issues with the supply of motherboards and systems in the near future. The reason this is important to the buyer is that the focus for manufacturers is on high margin hardware for AI at the expense of consumer electronic products. This may restrict the supply of components for standard desktop PC builds.
Manufacturers prioritize high-margin AI hardware over consumer electronics
The shortage is caused by supply chain issues with the underlying printed circuit boards that link all electronic components together to form a computer. There has been an increase in demand for these boards due to the proliferation of AI data centers. The use of these data centers requires specialized substrates as well as more complicated board designs. This is different from the standard consumer boards.
The driver of the shortage has been a major reallocation of production lines to AI products. The products require higher price points, thus providing more profit for manufacturers. There is also a growing demand for automotive PCB's as more vehicles are digitized and powered by electricity. This means there is also a competition for the limited production lines and materials.
Some of the reports show that there could be shortages of the raw materials and chemicals needed to produce the printed circuit boards. This could be the next bottleneck in the supply chain. The shortage seems to be mentioned as being a problem in Europe. The shortage is confirmed to be a global phenomenon and is affecting supply chains globally and not just the EU.
The situation is in flux as manufacturers reallocate production to the highest demand. Buyers need to watch for availability of components. There may be issues with pricing and possibly delays in shipments of PC components as a result of the mismatch between the need for AI infrastructure components and the supply for consumer electronics.
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