Forum Discussion
Occasional ContributorFPGA MAX10 future availability
Regular ContributorThose two statements (Intel won't take backorders on MAX10, Intel will support MAX10 until 2032) are not inconsistent.
You must understand that Intel is producing FPGA parts as fast as its fab allows.
But they are all being bought up by large customers who have prenegotiated purchase contracts for confirmed delivery.
There are no parts left that Intel is producing that can go to distributors for general distribution.
This is not just an Intel/Altera problem, it is affecting all semiconductors.
Heck even the car makers had to cut production because they could not get devices that they needed to produce car electronics.
So Intel is not going to accept backorders on parts that they know they can't produce for a year or more.
Brad_Hardware_DevNew Contributor
Some of the other chips which are unavailable by other manufacturers have an estimated delivery date which you can preorder. Intel gives no information on future availability so it makes it very difficult to plan.
I have millions of dollar of equipment waiting on that chip.
I understand the current situation with the chip shortage. It just makes it hard to run a business.
CLa_RI can hardly understand that Intel does not consider small customers, but you are saying that your business is important. Intel should recognize this too. I understand the shortage of chips and the difficulty of obtaining them, but what is required is only clear communication.
Is it too much?
- ak6dn
I completely understand where you are coming from. I am glad I am retired now after 40 years, and not have to deal with this.
In my experience Intel is one of the more secretive companies and won't say much without an NDA.
My speculation is that large volume purchasers of parts from Intel have locked up supply with long term purchase contracts.
I know when I was employed (at a very large telecom company) our purchasing department was very good at doing this.
Of course we had hundreds of millions of dollars of production systems relying on these parts being supplied on schedule.
Honestly I would not want to be a small guy now trying to source parts thru distributors.
- CLa_R
@ak6dn ha scritto:
[..]
So Intel is not going to accept backorders on parts that they know they can't produce for a year or more.
Ok, this would already be important information.
But I don't understand how you say it, it is in contrast with what you wrote before; You may be a large customer, but wasn't this information supposed to be confidential? I get confused.
Also, if it is true as you wrote that Intel does not provide information to distributors, how should I interpret the fact that the MAX10 devices have completely disappeared from my distributor? By what metrics has my distributor made FPGAs disappear from their list if they do not have confidential information from Intel?
The device will not be available for more than a year or has ended production? (I remember seeing that the availability was also indicated for 52 weeks, well over a year. But it was clearly indicated)
Honestly, I am confused by your statements, although some of them may be reasonable.
I still think Intel isn't doing a good job here. And I still don't like it.
- ak6dn
The information I gave was on my past experience working at a very large telecom company.
We rarely bought parts thru distributors. Contracts for pricing and delivery were negotiated directly with the supplier.
I am now retired, so (luckily) do not have to deal directly with this supply issue.
I am only giving my thoughts based on 40+ years of working on various products, the last 20 years or so with lots of FPGA content.
Re the MAX10, I think Intel can (and is) producing a lot of them, but they are already allocated to purchase contracts.
So the lead time for NEW orders may be 52 weeks or more. Existing scheduled orders are probably getting parts weekly now.
Distributors probably tried to place backorders for parts but likely just gave up when Intel told them all the parts they can produce for the next year are locked into pre-negotiated pruchase contracts. So why take backorders for parts that can't be delivered thru then for a year.
