Intel’s launching of the range of processors codenamed Ivy Bridge was accompanied by rumors about production issues which could lead to a shortage in supply of the processors at its initial stages. An article by Digitimes claims that the shortage would be severe enough that Intel will be unable to “satisfy downstream PC vendors’ strong demand.” The article goes on to say that the situation would resolve itself in May or June when Intel launch an additional 13 processors on top of the 14 that were launched yesterday consisting of nine i5 versions and 5 mobile CPUs.
With regards to the purported rumor, Intel has spoken out in defense by labeling the report as false. The company stated that consumers can expect plenty of supply from the word ‘Go’. The Intel spokesperson referenced statements that were made by Chief Executive Paul Otellini and Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith during a conference call in Q1. Smith said that the 22nm yield curve is “consistent with expectations” and processor production is ramped up in 3 different fabs (microchip fabrication plants). The company expects a greater volume from the production this time around as opposed to the 32nm processors which were privileged to only 2 fabs initially.
That said however the company admits that the reason why the launch of Ivy Bridge was delayed by 3 weeks was because the company wanted to make sure that there wasn’t a shortage of inventory. Otelinni added that the first batch of Ivy Bridge processors are quad-cores and the “bulk of those are going into desktops.” In terms of supply he said, “Ivy Bridge will Intel’s fastest ramping product ever, comprising nearly ¼ of our microprocessor volume in Q2 alone and crossing over 50% of [Intel’s] microprocessor shipments this fall.
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