Posted on 02/04/2023 5:35:59 AM PST by FarCenter
Automakers use a lot of separate microcontrollers to do individual functions. These chips already have fairly small die sizes, so producing them on 7 nm versus 28 nm doesn’t increase the number of parts on a wafer by a factor of 16. Much of the wafer is taken up by connection points and allowance for the kerf when sawing the wafer into individual dies.
The glut is in DRAM, NRAM, server processors, high-end PC and tablet processors, smartphone processors, discrete graphics processing units, etc. This is mainly due to the saturation of the PC, gaming, bitcoin mining, and smartphone markets and the ensuing slump in sales.
They’ll be giving F150s away... (LOL).
Once the dealers admit the party is over, the manufacturers will be pushing out 15k-20k off MSRP incentives. A 40k truck at 6% is entirly diffrent to me than a 60k. Profits and losses for the automakers will average out 2018-2024 to a near profitless business like 2012-2018.
If the SUV/Truck companies get their act together, standarize on a common electric core in drive and batery control of near ISO standard parts they can offer a ton of models and make money from value add again. There is no reason for 12 versions of motor controllers. I would love to order a 3d printed 2037chevy on electric frame 23 with the sporty roll hoop option B and spend money on what affects me most, seats, chrome, wheels and tires while on autodrive.
And for sake of the consumers budget, make the infotainment dock a standard connector again. I just want a 14 inch tablet with bluetooth on a standard stalk instead of a 10k must have option. The number of issues with 5 year old google/carplay on factory setups is insane. One could just have physical buttons and the car be car again for 300 bucks.
The cure for high prices are high prices.
You can’t price nav system options for thousands if you make it convenient for people to use Garmin, Magellan, ..., instead.
I have “been in the semiconductor manufacturing business” (working either directly or in a consulting capacity for semi mfg equipment companies) for thirty years.
Boom and bust cycles are a feature of the business, not an anomaly.
If you’re an investor, wait patiently for the bottom and carefully pick up some good companies for cheap. On the way to your 500% capital gain, you’ll enjoy some decent dividend payouts, too.
(Or, the world ends and Jesus returns and that’s cool too.)
Pretty much anything is an upgrade to my GTX 970 with 1GB of video RAM.
The computer is 2015 vintage, but an i5-6500 @3.2 GHz, 32GB RAM, an M.2 boot drive and terabytes of fast SSD is still overkill in the computing department.
And Timetec 256GB SSD 3D NAND QLC SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5 Inch… $15.99
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