Chipset – The COVID-19 outbreak is not only detrimental to health, but there is also a very detrimental factor from this pandemic, where the large supply of imports and difficulties in the export sector make the situation worse. One of those affected is the supply of chipsets which are starting to be very scarce.
What caused it? And what is the importance of chipset for computers?
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The Importance of Chipsets in Computers
Why this scarcity can cause losses in the field of technology and information? And is it really that important the chipset on a computer?
This is of course related to the function of the chipset itself in producing such as mobile phones and computers.
Computer Chipset Function
The electronic chipset manages the flow of data between the components on the motherboard. It is a traffic controller between CPU, GPU, RAM, storage and peripherals. Experts call it the “glue” of the motherboard. The chipset is basically the electronics on the motherboard that communicates with all of the connected components.
Most importantly, the chipset determines the compatibility between all other components. If any of the processors or memory cards do not communicate with the chipset, they cannot send or receive information from the motherboard.
How Computer Chipsets Work
The chipset allows the board to be the center of all system operations. It offers support to all components through the connections between them. Which makes it possible to establish contact with the bus; In addition, it has a direct connection with the processor and manages the information coming and leaving the main processor bus.
It is important to note that this product uses a connecting bridge called the north bridge and south bridge; the former makes it possible to establish a connection between the microprocessor and memory. It also controls access to microprocessor information; RAM memory; AGP graphics port or PCI-Express graphics; as well as communications with the south bridge, they are called MCH (memory controller hub) or GMCH (graphic MCH).
Kinds of Chipsets on Computers
As mentioned above, it can be distinguished looking for 2 kinds, namely the south bridge and the north bridge. Both have different functions.
Northbridge
The North bridge is connected to the CPU via FSB (Front Side Bus). Components that can provide transfer speeds close to the CPU speed are also installed on the north bridge.
In modern computers, these are the RAM and PCI-Express buses. Generally, most memory requests are routed to RAM but not all of them.
The memory controller on the Northbridge decides where memory requests should go; whether to RAM or PCI-e bus. This decision is made by making use of the memory address map.
Southbridge
A much slower bus is connected to the south bridge, as it is much slower in operation than the north bridge. Usually among the connected buses are USB, PCI, IDE, and LAN, audio, drivers and hard disk connections.
Chipset Scarcity Today
Chipsets are getting rare, this happens because there are several factors. However, in general there is one reason why it is now, and has occurred and is expected to continue.
Causes of Scarcity of Chipsets
This is because global supply can exacerbate the shortage of chipsets, especially supply for various countries in Asia.
Taiwan, which is one of the major hubs for the chip manufacturing industry, is currently experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases.
According to a report in the South China Morning, the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan is massive. Hundreds of cases have been confirmed almost daily and have claimed many lives.
Chipset Scarcity Impact
The most obvious impact is technological lag. It is certain that at this time any technology that is computer-based, for example, is very much needed. With this scarcity, of course, it greatly affects the quantity of electronic equipment production and also its quality is also affected.
However, every year and even every month the need for technology will be higher, many want new technology that can facilitate human work.
If this product is rare, then inevitably the technology released is still using the old product, only adding modest features.
Estimated Until 2022
At worst, this will continue until 2022. TSMC as the maker of chipsets for Apple, Qualcomm and many other technology companies has not been affected by this. However, since last April, TSMC has confirmed that there is a shortage of these products that could last until 2022.
Using Third Party Maintenance as a Solution
The shortage of chipsets will certainly have an impact on the economics of various IT-based companies because they do not get upgrades for their hardware. The absence of this upgrade provides an opening for cyber criminals if they are not careful for routine maintenance.
NetData can be a third party maintenance as a comprehensive maintenance solution for your company’s assets with more maintenance to prevent system failure. Maintenance and repairs will also be carried out if there is a problem with the device so that the device can function properly and also more optimally.
You can get this service at an affordable cost. With unquestionable experience, NetData is definitely your most reliable hardware asset maintenance solution.
