SK Hynix’s $28B U.S. IPO Draws Strong Demand as AI Chip Boom Fuels Investor Interest 
Australia Flags Child Safety Gaps at Apple, Meta, Google Over Online Sexual Extortion 
Elon Musk Says Anthropic Leads AI Race as Claude Models Challenge OpenAI 
Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft 
Zhipu AI Raises HK$31.37 Billion in Discounted Share Sale to Accelerate AI Growth 
TSMC Q2 Revenue Surges 36% as AI Chip Demand Powers Growth Ahead of Earnings 
Trump Administration Launches AI Cybersecurity Partnership to Protect Critical Infrastructure 
Arm Stock Falls After HSBC Downgrade, Citing Limited Near-Term AI Upside 
ASML Raises 2026 Outlook as AI Chip Demand Lifts Q2 Earnings 
Yaskawa Electric Shares Slide as Weak Profit Overshadows Strong AI Demand 
Chinese Chip Stocks Jump as Apple Reportedly Tests CXMT Memory Chips for China Devices 
SK Hynix Stock Soars as AI Memory Demand Outlook Fuels Chip Rally 
Samsung to Launch First Yongin Chip Plant by 2029 as South Korea Speeds Up Semiconductor Hub 
SK Hynix Soars 13% in Nasdaq Debut After Record $26.5 Billion IPO 
Wolfspeed Sues Navitas Over GaN and SiC Patent Infringement 
EU to Propose New Rules Limiting Children's Access to Social Media 
Recent reports suggest the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X could be easier to find around the second half of the year. However, a new estimation considering the ongoing custom chip shortage paints a more bleak scenario.
The PS5, Xbox Series X drought could go on longer than expected
Sony's PS5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S have both sold out as soon as they hit the shelves last November. That has been the scenario for every restock or drops in the following weeks and months, and it does not look like the situation will get better anytime soon.
Bloomberg reported that custom chip shortages had affected other tech product availabilities over the last months due to some chip buyers stockpiling the component. It posed an even bigger issue for "smaller-volume buyers," namely the gaming console makers Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.
A source told the publication that video game companies expect the supply problem to worsen before they start seeing better days in 2021. It is unclear what that means exactly, but it is worth noting that PS5 and Xbox Series X drops have become less frequent over the last month. The same source also floated the possibility that the ongoing shortage in custom chip supplies could still affect these consoles' availability in the holiday season later this year.
AMD, Microsoft suggest better restock scenarios in H2 2021
AMD, the company that supplies the processing chips for PS5 and Xbox Series X, said in an earnings call last month that its chip products' supplies might remain tight through the first half of the year. In Microsoft's own report, the company also expects the Xbox Series X demands to remain "constrained" in the first half of 2021 as well.
Both statements left the impression that more consoles would be available around the second half of the year. But the new report from Bloomberg is now suggesting a different picture.
Microsoft launched two new-gen consoles last November -- Xbox Series X ($499) and Xbox Series S ($299) -- that have distinct designs. The latter is Microsoft's digital-only offering, but it also serves as a lower-end variant but still with next-level specs. The PS5 also launched with two versions, one digital-only ($399) and another that supports both disc and digital games ($499). Both look the same and have similar specs.
Featured photo by Kerde Severin on Unsplash
