We’ve talked about GPUs being a little.. overpriced at the moment, in our episode on them. Whether or not it’s post-2021 when you listen to this and the GPU shortage problem is over, you may still be curious: why are things like this right now?

Sources:

COVID-19 Pandemic Slowing Manufacturing:

• Intrado GlobalNewswire, 6 July 2020, “Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) Market to Grow $200.85 Billion by 2027: at 33.6% CAGR“
• PCMag, 14 February 2020, “Nvidia Faces $100 Million Coronavirus Hit“
• Tom’s Hardware, 9 March 2021, “2020 GPU Sales Failed to Impress, Despite Record Demand“

NVIDIA 30 Series:

• Tom’s Guide, 7 September 2020,”Nvidia RTX 3080 vs. RTX 2080 Ti: How much better is it?“
• NVIDIA.com Newsroom, 1 September 2020, “Introducingi GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs”
• TechRadar, 16 March 2021, “Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 review”

AMD RX 6000 Series:

• Tom’s Guide, 28 October 2020,”AMD Big Navi release date, price, specs and performance“
• Tom’s Hardware, 23 November 2020, “AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and RX 6800 Review: Nipping at Ampere’s Heels“

TSMC Manufacturing:

• ExtremeTech, 7 January 2021, “Report: Packaging Issues, PS5 Demand May Be Hurting TSMC Production“
• GamingBolt, 24 September 2020, “Tech Analysis: How Are Xbox Series X And PS5 SoCs Manufactured?“
• Wccftech, 23 April 2020, “NVIDIA And AMD Just Bought Up All Excess Capacity At TSMC For Next Generation GPUs And CPUs“

NVIDIA Mining Lock and Mining GPUs:

• Tom’s Hardware, 15 March 2021,”Nvidia Hacks Its Own GeForce RTX 3060 Anti-Mining Lock (Updated)“
• ZDNet, 18 February 2021, “Nvidia launches CMP, cryptocurrency mining processor, may alleviate gaming chip shortages“

Supply Issues and Mitigation:

• NotebookCheck.net, 29 April 2021, “AMD determined to ramp up Radeon RX 6000 GPU production throughout 2021“
• Screen Rant, 15 April 2021, “Nvidia Says GPU Shortage May Last Until 2022“
• PCMag, 12 April 2021, “Nvidia: Demand for Graphics Cards to Outstrip Supply for Much of 2021“

Overpriced GPUs:

• Wccftech, 13 February 2021, “Over 14,000 NVIDIA GPUs Have Been Sold On eBay This Year Alone And The Resale Price Is Going Up As Time Goes On“
• eBay on 5 April 2021, “RTX 2060” Search Query

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Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA