Are we coming out of the semiconductor shortage?!
I've noticed of late that the STM32 range of microcontrollers, the first one I saw almost 2 years ago dissapearing from TME, the electronics distributor I use here in Europe, and which at one point had 0 out of 500 models available, has started getting more and more models available in larger and larger quantities (up to 31 models last I checked).
I've also noticed an increased availability of ATTiny microcontrollers, though no ATMega328s available yet (though there is one variant of the ATMega168 suitable for breadboarding available, which can do the trick if you don't need the full 32KB memory of the 328).
Have you guys noticed something? Are we coming out of the semiconductor shortage at the hobbyist level?
PS: I'm not affiliated with the TME guys and mostly use them because they're in the EU (so no customs), have a lot more choice for loose parts than the locals and the shipping costs for the likes of Mouser to locations in Europe is even more ridiculous than TME's.
Posted Oct 18, 2022, 2:02 PM UTC
As someone who is a computer engineer for one of the largest computer companies in the world, I would say that yes, we seeing less demand and more supply. During covid, we saw an unprecedented amount of demand. Since demand is slowing down, silicon suppliers can finally produce their products at pre-covid rates. The US is about to enter mass production for silicon as well so we'll probably see a massive supply of chips in the near future.