14 DAY TRIAL // The second part of 2009 will likely be remembered for months, or maybe even for years, as the period was characterized most closely by two elements. One is the introduction of the DirectX 11-capable graphics adapters from AMD, namely the Radeon HD 5700 and HD 5800 series, and the much acclaimed Radeon HD 5970 dual-GPU adapter. The other reality that defines the past quarter, and which was able to counterbalance the enthusiasm crated by DirectX 11 graphics, was the dramatically short supply of said adapters.
The shortage was, and still is, mostly owed to the low 40nm yields of TSMC's (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). The fact that, even though the process should have matured, yields weren't, and still aren't, at the desired levels, both AMD and NVIDIA saw themselves unable to advance at their intended pace. The former was less affected, as its DirectX 11 products needed to be delayed anyway, but the latter introduced its new GPUs only to find that it didn't have enough products.
This scarcity is not exactly new, as it was already a rather old problem even at the start of last month. In the earlier part of November, yields were supposedly set to increase by the beginning of December. Still, this did not happen, and AMD again reassured consumers that production would “open up quite a bit in December.” Now, after waiting longer than initially intended, end-users have finally begun to notice a slightly better availability of the HD 5700 and HD 5800 adapters.
In response to a query by Tech Report, AMD confirmed that, indeed, the 40nm yields from TSMC “have stabilized.” The HD 5800 cards are, supposedly, set to become more accessible, even though the actual prices are still inflated, with adapters boasting prices between $20 and $50 higher than their actual retail price. The HD 5850, for instance, costs around $310 ($50 more than retail).
Still, this development may be seen as more than favorable news, considering the fact that TSMC's yields were only at 50% at the start of the month. It appears that, even though the shortage may indeed last through the first quarter of 2010, it will be less serious than initially expected.