This has become the most frequent question asked on every project we contribute to. Many Field Programmable Gate Arrays, or FPGAs, now have a 52-week lead time… or longer. In some cases, the manufacturer is simply not making them available at all unless you are a customer that has orders for millions of devices. This can steer device selection, but also leads many customers to redesign existing electronics with a replacement part that is more available.
The FPGA shortage has also led to a dramatic increase in brokered parts. Brokers can sometimes deliver parts within days, but the parts delivered are often questionable. In the best cases, the parts have the date code and lot number scratched out, so the parts are no longer traceable. In the worst cases, customers may find themselves with counterfeit parts that may not function as specified. In some situations, this is acceptable for prototypes but most customers cannot accept parts with no traceability for production.
Although some device families have better availability than others, 52-weeks has become the norm for vendors. This is true of all the big players, including Xilinx/AMD, Intel, Lattice, and Microchip.
Some older device families can still be found in distribution, such as Digikey or Mouser, but even that is becoming increasingly rare.
This has led many to ask, what caused this parts shortage. The answer is complex, with many moving parts. The Covid pandemic was certainly a contributor. Many of the factories were disrupted during the pandemic, and this coincided with an increasing demand for FPGAs that are now found in nearly everything, including phones, cars, avionics, and even daily appliances like microwave ovens.
Some manufacturers, including Intel, have announced investments to “geographically diversify” chip manufacturing. Today, most of the world’s chips are manufactured in Asia. Creating new plants in the US and Europe could ease the burden, but not in the near term. Building new fabrication plants is a complicated process and simply doesn’t occur overnight.
If you need guidance navigating these waters, we’re here to help.
