HBM Shortages Now Require USDA Pre-Inspection for Each Silicon Wafer
SAN FRANCISCO — The great AI chip shortage, which has been grinding on like a slow-motion train wreck since Q3 2024, just took an unexpected bureaucratic turn: every high-bandwidth memory (HBM) shipment now requires a USDA pre-inspection certificate before it can leave the factory floor.
“It’s not just a supply chain issue anymore — it’s a food safety issue,” said Department of Agriculture official Dr. Brenda Wong, who is apparently the only one in the building who knows that HBM is made of silicon, not beef. “We’ve discovered that trace amounts of E. coli can contaminate memory modules during the cooling process at Taiwan foundries. Until we solve that, no GPUs are leaving the dock without a Form 944.”