TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Acer Chair and CEO Chen Chun-sheng (陳俊聖) said shortages of key PC components, particularly CPUs, are worsening amid growing demand driven by AI applications.
Chen spoke at a pre-show forum for Computex in his capacity as chair of the Taiwan Computer Association, the organizer of the annual technology exhibition. He said supply chain shortages initially centered on memory components but have now spread to CPUs, creating new challenges for PC manufacturers, per CNA.
“The shortage of key PC components has worsened recently, with CPUs being the most severely affected,” Chen said. “Complete PC shipments can only proceed after CPUs arrive.”
Chen said companies across the industry are maintaining close communication with CPU suppliers as manufacturers work to stabilize supply. He added that the entry of additional chipmakers into the supply chain could help ease pressure.
In addition to traditional CPU suppliers AMD and Intel, companies such as MediaTek and Qualcomm have also expanded their involvement in the PC market.
When asked about concerns that AI development could crowd out other sectors within the information and communications technology industry, Chen described the transition as a long-term process of resource reallocation and optimization.
He compared the development of AI to the early growth of the internet, saying adoption would gradually spread across industries rather than occurring through a sudden transformation. “The popularization of AI is a long-term and continuous evolution, not a sudden shift at a single point in time,” Chen said.
Chen said market research institutions forecast global PC shipments could decline by more than 10% this year, though he expressed a more optimistic outlook, predicting only a single-digit decline. Despite weaker shipment volumes, Chen said rising end-market PC prices could allow the overall value of the PC market this year to exceed last year’s level, per CNA.
When asked about Acer becoming one of the first suppliers for Google’s newly unveiled AI-focused notebook computer, the Googlebook, Chen said the product would be priced slightly higher than Chromebooks because of its upgraded specifications.
He added that enterprise users have responded positively to the Googlebook, though he does not expect it to replace existing Chromebooks entirely. Chen said Acer would continue offering a diversified product portfolio to meet the needs of different types of users.
