PlayStation 5 Semiconductor Shortage Could Last Until At Least 2023

According to hardware manufacturer TSMC, the semiconductor shortage thats currently affecting supplies of many tech products like the PlayStation 5 (check out our review of Sony's console, below) may last until 2023. The shortage of semiconductors has become a worldwide issue during the pandemic and it will take a significant amount of time for hardware producers to catch up to demand.

In case you're not up to date with what the semiconductor shortage means, it's one of the reasons why it's so difficult to get the PlayStation 5 right now. But it's also affecting a lot of other hardware production, too. From cars to consoles, cameras to computers and beyond, many products rely on semiconductors - components that are in desperately short supply.

Although supplies of semiconductors were getting to a worrying level before the pandemic, the requirement for people to stay home and work and entertain themselves inside has exacerbated the issue. More people are spending money to make their home lives more comfortable, and spending more money on new tech.

According to TheGamer and Bloomberg, one of the biggest manufacturers of these semiconductors, TSMC, has predicted that this is going to be a long-term issue, without resolution until 2022 at least, if not 2023.

The quote from the chief executive officer of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., C.C. Wei, reads: "We see the demand continue to be high. In 2023, I hope we can offer more capacity to support our customers. At that time, we'll start to see the supply chain tightness release a little bit."

Sony Interactive Entertainment

TSMC is a huge player in the semiconductor business, responsible for creating semiconductors for companies like Apple and AMD. If a company of its size cannot supply the number of products needed until 2023, then the issue is likely to continue until then.

In a previous story, we outlined that it takes up to two years to create a facility to make semiconductors, so even if multiple businesses attempted to build factories to aid the current supply, we wouldn't see the improvements for years.

Topics: PlayStation 5, News