Has GigaDevice gone bust?

[Saimoun]

Hi!

So, a few days ago, I could go on LCSC.com, and they were plenty of GigaDevice chips, loads of them available in the 10k+ range.

Today, they are not only without stock of ANY gigadevice chip, but also marked as "discontinued"? 

I wrote to LCSC, trying to find out if something happened or if this is just a website bug.

I'll keep this updated

Cheers
Simon

[ataradov]

LCSC does weird things with their listings all the time based on actual part availability. Unlike DigiKey or Mouser they don't keep listing for parts they don't have forever. They cycle them in or out as needed.

I've been monitoring a few GD32VF devices and the listings go in and out all the time.

Although it looks like GD is gone entirely, not even listed as a vendor. I'm pretty sure GD is doing just fine, so if anything it would be some distribution agreement issue between LCSC and GD.

Even their flash devices are missing. Those were available all the time, and they are still active and available on Mouser. So yes, it looks like it is LCSC issue. This is sad because getting their flash devices was easy, but MCUs were only readily available on LCSC.

[Saimoun]

Yes exactly - I also noticed before things going in and out, but never an entire company.

You're right it could easily be a disagreement between LCSC and GigaDevice. I actually really like the GigaDevice MCUs, I have been using their GD32E230 series for a while now. But unfortunately it seems the only easy distributor to get their chips from is LCSC? I have my own contacts in China to buy chips for production but I regularly check prices and availability on LCSC - to get an idea of how the market is moving.

Fun story, they recently (october 2021) released an awesome new series called GD32L233 which I've been dying to get my hands on. I've been asking GigaDevice and they literally said it was not in stock anywhere (), and lead time is 16 to 24 weeks! During that conversation I mentioned LCSC and told them it would be great if they could get some of these L233 in stock and GigaDevice did not seem to know about LCSC... (that was so weird). Then a few weeks later, this happened... Have I just shot myself in the foot?

[ataradov]

Individual person may not know about LCSC, but I doubt GD did not know. They moved a lot of product, and I doubt they got it from third-party sources.

I really hope Mouser and DigiKey start carrying GD devices. It is really strange that they are fine with memory, but would not list any MCUs. It is possible that GD has no margin on them and selling though distributors makes them look too expensive.

[Saimoun]

Ok - I just checked and it seems the GD MCUs are back on LCSC... I guess it was a bug of some sorts?

Though I can see numbers have changes, both prices and availability... But I guess that's normal   

Yes having GD MCUs on Digikey/Mouser would be awesome, like you said it's weird they have their memory chip but not their MCUs!

[ataradov]

Not only they are back, but GD32F103ZET6 is one of the suggested devices for me under the search box Which is an interesting feature. "I'm feeling lucky" for a parts search.

I guess it was a bug or a database update. Or negotiations went well.

[Saimoun]

Hurra for negociations!! 

Gosh what a world we live in - just went throught that whole thread about the shortage. After seeing GD disappear from LCSC I was ready to see if I could jump to another MCU brand, checking actually ST... But gosh there is literally 80% shortage on ST chips.

So.... no. Sticking with GD, so far so good

[Doctorandus_P]

At the moment the times are just too weird for any conclusions.

Getting from 10k stock or even 100k stock to sold out can be a single order from a large customer desparate for IC's, or a hoarder thinking to have found a new milk cow.

Maybe negociations!! went bad, and chips reserved for a big customer fell though and are now back for sale.

[Saimoun]

Just FYI, LCSC did answer my question (a while ago), this was a simple website bug

[iMo]

Afaik all GD's MCUs are flashless chips - there is the mcu + the flash chip inside the package. Thus when all GD MCUs disappear the Flash chips disappear as well 

[ataradov]

No, all, only the first few devices. All recent devices have integrated fralsh.

[Saimoun]

Unless I am wrong, I think imo meant that the flash is on a different die (but still in the package).

[ataradov]

And as far as I know it is not the case for the most recent devices. Only the first few devices had shadow RAM that was loaded from the separate flash. Newer devices have a regular flash, which I think on the same die. At least all the performance benefits of the shadow RAM are gone in the new devices, you have to set real wait states.

[Saimoun]

Yes that's true. I am not sure if it's related to being on the same die or not, but actually some devices come with more flash which they call "data Memory" which is basically a bit slower than the "normal memory". F.x. the GD32F303CE has 256kB extra on that "data memory" compared to the GD32F303CC


By the way -unrelated - I just saw that yesterday: https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pre-ordered-Products_GigaDevice-Semicon-Beijing-GD32L233RCT6_C3202813.html
I've been dying to get one of those L233 so just the fact there are there, even in the "pre-order" category, that's just amazing!

I tried pre-ordering some though and it got rejected right away, so I think there is nothing else to do than wait