Component shortage outlook for 2022 predicts improvements, but four roadblocks will remain

In addition to sharing its estimates of the global PC market, with Mac shipments the standout, Counterpoint Research has also pulled together its best prediction of the component shortage outlook for this year.

It shows that we can expect a significant improvement in the course of 2022, but shortages will remain in four component categories …

Background

The global chip shortage was created by a mix of factors. These include increased demand for technology during the pandemic, COVID-related production disruption, and a growing demand for chips by car-makers; as cars rely on increasing numbers of microprocessor units.

The biggest issue is not with CPUs and GPUs, but far more mundane chips like display drivers and power management systems. These relatively low-tech chips are used in a huge number of devices, including Apple ones.

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that supply constraints cost Apple $6B in each of the last two quarters, and we should get a further update at the company’s earnings call later today.

Component shortage outlook for 2022

The report compares the levels of component shortages for the first and second halves of last year, and maps out its expectations of how things will play out this year.

The company breaks down its report into four key areas:

• Display (display driver chips, for example)
• Memory
• Processors
• Other circuit boards (wi-fi chips, for example)

Then subdivides those into more specific component categories, painting broad brush-strokes of the shortage levels for each.

Display driver chips were in particularly short supply last year. Counterpoint estimates that demand exceeded supply by 20-30% in the first half of the year, and by 10-20% in the second half. However, it believes that supply will catch up with demand in the course of this year.

By the end of this year, the market intelligence firm believes that shortages which affected seven component categories last year will have eased completely, while four more components will continue to be affected:

• LCM – PMIC (display chips)
• Discrete GPUs (which shouldn’t impact Apple)
• Power management chips
• Wi-fi chips

Photo: Adi Goldstein/Unsplash