Severe shortages of semiconductors have made finding new technology ridiculously difficult; securing restocking of PS5s and finding a buyer for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 are just two examples of how these chip shortages are manifesting themselves as pertinent consumer technology issues that We have witnessed it firsthand. [The South China Morning Post reported that Chinese chipmakers manufactured a total of 31.6 billion integrated circuits (ICs) in July. This is a healthy 41.3% increase over the same month last year and is the highest monthly production ever, thanks to companies increasing their output to meet persistently high demand. And the increase in chips may mean more parts for the PS5, Xbox Series X, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, and more desirable hardware.

Also, June production was 30.8 billion units, a modest month-over-month increase; overall 203.6 billion units were produced in 2021, up 47.3% from the previous year.

As our friends at Tom's Hardware point out, Chinese chipmakers are finding it difficult to procure the parts and machinery they need due to the US sanctions. But this is part of the reason why the Chinese government is focusing on chip production and providing generous subsidies. However, this is concentrated on large Chinese manufacturers, leaving smaller companies facing financial difficulties and takeovers.

However, the report does not specify what these chips will be used for, so it is impossible to say for sure what technology this increased production will help. Currently, the PS5 and Xbox Series X, like many GPU manufacturers, procure their chips from Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, and are at the mercy of TSMC's chip production.

However, if China offers to manufacture chips that are attractive to the likes of Sony and Microsoft and produce the components they need at competitive prices, these companies could diversify their chip supply chains. In turn, production of the PS5 and Xbox series X could be expanded. If nothing else, TSMC might subcontract to one of the Chinese chipmakers.

All of this is speculation, but if it comes to pass, the depressing challenge of trying to get new gaming technology may begin to ease. Time will tell, but hopefully by 2022 the shortage of gaming consoles and graphics cards will begin to improve.