The Xbox Series X stock shortage has a few causes, all working together to make it fairly difficult to pick up a new console. Chip shortages across the tech world have slowed production on everything from consoles to mobile phones due to the pandemic.
Back in early 2020, chip makers pivoted from declining markets like the automotive industry to meet the incredible demand for consumer electronics. This involved new processes and workloads, as the semi-conductor market scrambled to switch its focus. As the world shut down, however, so did factories and ports. That's when bad luck kicked in, as droughts, fires, and winter storms damaged chip plants and halted manufacture even further.
The events of the last 24 months have all swirled together to make it difficult for Microsoft to order enough chips to produce enough consoles and meet demand.