Turning the Tide with In-House Chips
Trezor, a prominent player in the hardware wallet market, recently dropped a bombshell: they’re cutting out the middleman and producing their own silicon chips. As announced on February 27, this shake-up primarily concerns the Trezor Model T, and they’re doing it to streamline production and combat the current supply chain woes. In other words, they’re taking matters into their own hands.
From Years to Months: Speeding Up Production
Gone are the days of waiting two years for new wallets to hit the market. With this shift, Trezor aims to reduce lead times drastically to just a few months. That’s right; what used to take eons will now only take a hot minute. This strategy not only minimizes delays but also protects customers from wild price swings that are typical in the tech world.
The FTX Ripple Effect
The urgency for this change partly stems from the spike in demand post-FTX collapse, where the market witnessed a whopping 300% increase in interest for Trezor wallets. As crypto enthusiasts hurried to secure their digital assets, Trezor found itself in a prime position to step up their game. Talk about a perfect storm for innovation!
Keeping the Models in Line
It’s important to note that while the new chips will exclusively benefit the Model T, other models like the Trezor One are safe from this transition. A spokesperson jokingly said, “Model One has a chip that’s been living its best life, unaffected by the chip crisis.” A unification of chips for future models is on the horizon, ensuring all Trezor owners can enjoy the benefits down the line.
Bridging the Supply Gap
Trezor’s chip production journey began with STMicroelectronics, but geopolitical tensions and other hurdles revealed vulnerabilities under that blanket. Now, by taking chip production into their own hands, Trezor is ready to face market fluctuations head-on without skipping a beat.
A New Normal for Manufacturing
The focus on in-house chip production not only safeguards against future shortages but also grants Trezor more creative liberty in designing their hardware wallets. Stepping away from vendor restrictions is like tossing off a heavy winter coat in spring—liberating!
A Trailblazing Future in Wallet Technology
The innovative leap comes just a year after Trezor’s link-up with Tropic Square, a startup aiming to redefine chip technology with their open-source TROPIC01 chip. This partnership hints at an exciting future where Trezor wallets could leverage cutting-edge advancements, all while keeping security at the forefront of their mission.
“By unpacking the process and collaborating with our partner in fresh ways, we’ve managed to make the manufacturing as agile as possible,” said Trezor’s CFO, and you can bet they’re not kidding about that!
