Core i5 shortage may not end until May at best

An ongoing shortage of Intel mobile chips might not break until May at the earliest, both analysts and chip resellers warned on Friday. Having begun in March, the low supply of Core i3, i5 and i7 chips now could continue to at least the end of April. The crunch has reportedly led to some companies voluntarily paying up to a 20 percent premium to ensure supply.

Smaller companies are the most likely to be the hardest hit as Intel often prioritizes larger companies over smaller ones. Without an improvement, however, some companies may face delays of up to three months before they can get regular supply. A situation of the sort isn't immediately likely but remains a possibility.

Intel during the conference call for its latest fiscal results admitted that it was "slightly behind" in making the 32 nanometer mobile processors but also said it was adding factories beyond the two it has to roughly double production. The full upgrade may not take complete until the fall, however, when the fourth factory will be active.

So far, major computer builders using the series haven't faced significant shortages, including Apple, Dell, HP and others. Acer is rumored to have been a cause of the shortage in gearing up for its TimelineX notebooks, but the problem now appears to be broad.

By Electronista Staff