President Biden to address global semiconductor shortage affecting Xbox Series X|S and others

Xbox Series X Internals
Xbox Series X Internals (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • The Xbox Series X|S have both been afflicted by an ongoing semiconductor supply shortage worldwide.
  • The shortage makes it difficult for Microsoft, Sony, NVIDIA, car manufacturers, and many more to keep up with demand.
  • President Biden is reportedly planning to sign an executive order to review and investigate various supply chains and sectors.
  • The plan is to prevent future semiconductor shortages from happening by diversifying domestic supply chains and production.

While the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are both impressive consoles, they have been notoriously difficult to find. Increased demand due to the ongoing pandemic is a crucial component, but the most significant factor in supply issues for Xbox Series X|S has been a global semiconductor shortage affecting many companies and industries around the world. AMD's CEO indicated that these shortages won't end any time soon, leaving many potential buyers without their console.

According to a report from Reuters, President Biden has met with Congressman to discuss signing an executive order addressing this global chip shortage. While the executive order would likely do little to fix the current issues plaguing Microsoft, Sony, NVIDIA, AMD, and even car manufacturers like Ford, it would work to prevent a shortage like this from happening in the future.

The executive order would launch a 100-day review of semiconductor supply chains, batteries for electric vehicles, rare minerals, and pharmaceuticals. There would also be six broader sector reviews aimed at investigating and fixing issues with defense, public health, communications technology, transportation, energy, and food production.

The end goal of this executive order is to diversify America's supply chains and production, and to rely less on importing key goods into the country.

For now, it's still hard to get your hands on an Xbox Series X|S. Fortunately, we keep close track of where to buy the Xbox Series X|S, so you can jump on opportunities to purchase Microsoft's elusive next-gen consoles the moment they become available.

Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.