TSMC's 40nm process development can only be explained as terribly awful. According to our sources, yields are at present at around 50 percent, which is disastrous for a „mature“and more than a year old procedure. One could declare that TSMC is in fact undeveloped regarding its 40 nm yields.

At this moment, TSMC ought to be at 90 percent + yields, but this is just not happening. The most awful part is that not anything will change in early 2010. The shortage will last all through Q1 2010 as well as both ATI’s RV870 with Nvidia’s Fermi will be greatly exaggerated to their die size as well as complexity.

Things may start getting superior in Q2 2010, but this means that you may have to wait all the way to April 2010 if not later on to get more than a single 40nm card sitting on the store shelve for more than a day.