I've been warned by the guy that repairs some of my instruments at work
(on-line TOC analyzers) that he is "having trouble finding" some of the
components, meaning I assume small scale integrated circuits. When the
last on someone has in stock is gone, that's it. Lots of things are
going fast, anything analog (with the exception of general purpose
amplifiers) is being replaced with digital -- not a new trend, it's
been 20 years and more in the making.
No market means no production..... just like film.
Peter