Have you tried to buy a PS5 or a new car recently? Whether you’re a techie or not, everyone's heard there's been a chip shortage. No, not the one down at your local KFC, but globally. The big players are now making the moves to come out ahead.

First up is AMD (AMD), one of the biggest semiconductor producers, which has gotten the green light to pick up Xilinx, a specialty chipmaker for $35b. The deal has been a long time coming after being first announced way back when in October 2020. 

Hot on the heels of this is rivals Intel (INTC), who's just announced the acquisition of chipmaker Tower Semiconductor (TSEM). The deal is set to be completed in 12 months' time due to the regulatory process. Intel is shelling out $5.4b in this bid to gain better access to specialized production as it looks to take advantage of the massive demand for semiconductors. Surging demand for consumer products during the pandemic, coupled with Covid-19 related slowdowns, have led to massive production setbacks.