Intel has confirmed earlier rumours that demand for its Atom processor and chipset is outstripping supply. Bill Calder, an Intel spokesman, said “We are working closely with our customers to meet their needs.”
During a call for first quarter financial results, Asustek CEO Jerry Shen said that he sees the shortage continuing into the third quarter of the year. This bodes well for ASUS which currently uses an Intel Celeron processor in its Eee PC line and for other manufacturers such as HP who are using VIA processors in their low-cost notebooks. It might also give AMD and VIA an opportunity to push their forthcoming Puma and Isaiah processors to manufacturers affected by the Atom shortages.