What just happened? AMD finally gave its Zen 4-powered Ryzen 7000 processors their full unveiling last night. They arrive on September 27, but, as we’ve seen with so many new product launches—especially AMD’s—there are availability concerns. However, CEO Dr. Lisa Su has assured fans that there will be plenty CPUs to go around.
As reported by PC Gamer, Su was responding to a question from the audience at the Zen 4 announcement event about supply chain disruption and whether it would result in a limited number of Ryzen 7000 CPUs being available at launch next month.
“It is true that if you look at the past 18 months there have been a number of things, whether its capacity limitations or logistics,” said the CEO. “From an AMD standpoint, we have dramatically increased our overall capacity, in terms of wafers, as well as substrates and on the back end. So with our launch of Zen 4 we don’t expect any supply constraints.”
“Logistically it takes a little bit longer for things to get into region. So we’re having this event at the end of August and we’re on sale on September 27. One of the reasons for that time, frankly, is to make sure that we do have product in region so that people can really look at buying across the board.”
The four Ryzen 7000 processors hitting the market on September 27 are the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X (16-core/12-thread) for $699, the Ryzen 9 7900X (12-core/24-thread) for $549, the Ryzen 7700X (8-core/16-thread) for $399, and the Ryzen 5 7600X (6-core/12-thread) for $299. Most of the chips are cheaper than the equivalent previous generation’s CPU launch prices, which is especially welcome at a time when many new products, and some current ones, are more expensive than expected.
The pandemic’s lockdowns brought a period of unprecedented demand for consumer electronic goods. Combined with Covid’s impact on manufacturing facilities and the global supply chain, it resulted in a chip shortage that saw prices skyrocket and availability diminish as scalpers and miners gobbled up what little products there were. Graphics cards were one of the worst areas affected, though vehicles, consoles, CPUs, motherboards, and other hardware also suffered.
Of course, things are very different today as the chip shortage alleviates and expensive buys become less appealing to consumers worried about a turbulent economy. Nvidia, in particular, finds itself facing the opposite problem of low availability. The company is so desperate to shift an excess of RTX 3000 stock that it keeps reducing the cards’ prices—and recent rumors claim they’re about to drop even further.
It sounds as if AMD is going the extra mile by increasing production to ensure the shortages of the past don’t rear their head again with the Zen 4 launch. We’ll find out for sure on September 27.