Cougar Point design error effects PC production

The design error found by Intel in its Cougar Point support chip for the Sandy Bridge processor has started to impact the PC supply chain, according to a Taiwan Economic News report that referenced un-named sources at foundries and packaging houses.

This in turn is likely to depress chip sales in February and March, at numerous chip vendors who supply components for PCs, the report said.

Intel began shipping faulty Cougar Points on Jan. 9, found the problem in late January and announced it was shipping a repaired version of Cougar Point Feb. 7, so some market disruption was expected. However, the volume of debugged Cougar Points has been low, which has limited the volumes of Sandy Bridge PCs that can be made, the report said.

As a result suppliers of numerous other components are being to limit deliveries, including manufacturers of analog ICs, LCD drive ICs, hard disc control ICs, and camera modules and graphics chips, the report said.

These are shipments that have been delayed rather than cancelled and demand is expected to return to normal in April, the report said.

Source: EETimes