Notebook brands are ramping up shipments to the peak of the year, while the supply-side factors are showing no signs of improvement, resulting in the widening of the supply-demand gaps for panels of certain specs and specific IC chips to more than 20%.
However, as COVID-19 gets contained around the world in the fourth quarter, global demand for notebooks will decrease. Furthermore, with added or substitute capacity coming online, increasing supply and decreasing demand will significantly narrow the supply-demand gaps.
Looking into fourth-quarter 2021, as restrictions get lifted throughout Europe and America, where consumers have been the most actively buying notebooks, and students are returning to school, notebook demand will start to show a downturn. Furthermore, foundries will have added capacity for 8-inch and 12-inch wafers so the supply-demand gaps for notebook components will begin to narrow.
