TSMC production halted??

[MonsterSound]

TSMC production halted??
I wonder if this is true... TSMC suddenly halts 28nm production | SemiAccurate
and this doesn't clear things up Nvidia suffers as TSMC's 28nm ramp steeper than expected ? The Register

[great_big_abyss]

Hmm,

Everybody can guess and conjecture, but unless an official statement is issued by either Nvidia, AMD or TSMC, it's just a rumour.

As far as any of us know, Nvidia's product launch and production ramp up is progressing according to their latest schedule.

EDIT:

That being said, if the rumour is true, that really sux. kepler wouldn't be available anytime soon, and prices would remain high for AMD's current stock of cards. Really, the people who would lose out would be Nvidia, and the consumer, while AMD would probably benefit.

[Keywork]

I read about this on semiaccurate this morning. Apparently it's true. It did note that production should be back in full swing in a couple weeks though, which I guess is positive.

[great_big_abyss]

How accurate was the article that you read?

[Soultribunal]

I haven't really heard any rumblings about a shortage or stoppage. Espically since that would effect the markets and companies that TSCM answers too and the markets haven't really hinted at issues.

-ST

[NyteOwl]

I was just reading an article that said:

"Unfortunately for Nvidia, yields of chips made using 28nm process technology at TSMC, including Kepler, are lower than the company originally anticipated and therefore their costs are high and Nvidia's chief executive recently complained that the company cannot get enough wafers."

Nvidia Demos GeForce "Kepler" in Action as Photos of GeForce GTX 670 Ti Hit the Web - X-bit labs

Looks like prices aren't dropping on any cards anytime soon. Like that's a big surprise.

[draemn]

meh, it's not new news that the they are hitting roadbumps with the 28nm fab space being very tight atm. they've been saying that for a few months that it will cause some higher prices and smaller stock as it is currently not producing at a high enough volume.

[SKYMTL]

TSMC did hit what's called a "show stopper" problem in manufacturing. I can't discuss it more than that.

However, AMD will be hurt just as much as NVIDIA, or more. Now that Kepler production has ramped up, the lion's share of TSMC's 28nm HP production has shifted away from AMD's parts since NVIDIA has reserved far more production capacity than their competitor. That's why AMD's HD 7970 and HD 7950 suddenly became VERY hard to find a few weeks ago and will likely remain in short supply for the foreseeable future, even before the ramp-down affected channel availability.