Re: Semiconductor Production Capacity
You said:
Fab capacity constraints ... was answered by TMSC [sic] three weeks ago, when they reported "less than 80% of capacity utilized". This effectively negates the "production capacity" arguement, IMO
Jay, a fab is not a blender, with buttons on the front that say "DRAM", "ASIC", "Voodoo" that let you pick the chip-of-the-day to produce.
Extensive tooling/retooling is required, sometimes wholesale replacement of modules and handling lines, which necessitate significant lead times. TSMC may have 20% capacity available, but they have to weigh many variables when deciding what to do with that capacity. These include retooling costs, demand levels from their many customers, planning ahead for future product lines etc. 3DFX doesn't just "order" another 10M units, shipped FedEx.
Furthermore, the packaging is done by ASE creating another potential bottleneck in the supply chain.
I think that 3DFX, TSMC, and ASE have already done a remarkable job of scaling rapidly to meet the surge in demand for V2.
God bless,
PX |
