Re:Playstation 5 root keys obtained
by Aissen on Monday November 08, 2021 @03:18AM
(#29147106)
If you look at sales chart, Sony is selling as many PS5 as they sold PS4 during the same launch period. It's just that demand is higher; the fact that they are able to make as much during a chip shortage says a lot of their supply chain expertise (same could be said of MS, Nintendo, Samsung, LG, Apple etc.).
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Expertise being a euphemism for relationships to skip the queue.
It's true, it's heavily unfair that the tech giants have better access to manufacturing, etc. And while I 100% agree with @scott_w's sibling comment, this not even the only factor.
How many people do you think they have dedicated only to supply chain management ? This is such a wide domain, we don't see it all from here: they have engineers dedicated to sourcing, to manufacturing, testing, evaluating new sources; people in charge of a given supplier; people in charge of the various type of transport, of recycling, etc. All this is in-house expertise, and definitely gives them an edge.
If you look at most big auto manufacturers; they too are suffering from shortages. So it seems tech giants must be doing something better.
Relationships, knowledge and ability to long-term bulk-buy in order to skip the queue. Suppliers want to work with customers who they know will be large customers in 5 years time and not just some random bloke who rocks up and tries to buy 30 chips on a Tuesday.