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It's important to have a full understanding of the definition for the term "OEM". Often a computer hardware component is identified as being OEM. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. Semiconductor manufacturers have two ways of distributing their products. Retail being the one you're no doubt the most familiar with, and OEM.
If the component is OEM then it means the component is intended to be sold as part of a complete system instead of as an individual component. OEM components provide the manufacturer with the most revenue plus a more secure revenue stream. This is because the OEMs, who are the ones buying the component, must do so under a contract. The contract guarantees that the OEM will make large monthly purchases of the component for a number of months. In return, the the manufacturers provide much better volume pricing to the OEMs.
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