Despite last week’s declaration from Hon Hai that the components shortages will be largely eased this year, manufacturers like Sony are still facing lead times for orders of nearly two years.

Chip orders made after October have had lead times of between 5-15 weeks longer than those made throughout that month, according to U.S. electronic component distributor Sourcengine. The average lead time sits at 44 weeks for 16-bit processors, and 37 weeks for power chips. Some processors have a gruelling 99-week wait.

“Some products are expected to be in short supply in the first half of fiscal 2022 as well, so we will build up inventory,” said Hiroki Totoki, CFO and executive deputy president at Sony.

Sony was forced to stop production of six camera models three times throughout November and December, due to chip shortages. The company stopped taking orders for the products, with segment sales for the December quarter falling 4 per cent.