Why A.I. and Cryptocurrency Are Making One Type of Computer Chip Scarce

Malong, which is based in Shenzhen, China, is building a system that can analyze digital photos and learn to recognize objects. Doing so requires an enormous number of photos, and analyzing all these photos depends on the G.P.U. When the company recently ordered new hardware from a supplier in China, the shipment was delayed by four weeks. And the price of the chips was about 15 percent higher than it had been six months earlier. "We need the latest G.P.U.s to stay competitive," Mr. Scott said.