Texas Instruments Distributor Sourcing Guide

Table of Contents

• Start with TI’s Current Channel Map
• Select the Path from the Transaction Requirement
• Convert Online Availability into an Auditable Commitment
• Compare Quotes Without Mixing Different TI Devices
• Use Independent Supply as a Controlled Exception
• Prioritize Continuity by Requalification Cost

Texas Instruments gives buyers several distinct purchasing paths: TI.com and TI APIs, a small current authorized-distributor network, and additional channels for selected aerospace, obsolete, surplus, wafer, or die requirements. An independent distributor sits outside that authorized network and requires a documented exception process.

The useful sourcing question is not “Which TI distributor is best?” It is which path provides the correct orderable part, required support and warranty, acceptable delivery evidence, and a supply risk the program is authorized to take.

Start with TI’s Current Channel Map

TI’s authorized-distributor page currently identifies:

• Arrow Electronics in all regions except Japan.
• DigiKey Electronics.
• Mouser Electronics.
• Macnica.
• Tokyo Electron Device (TED), exclusive to Japan.

TI separately lists Spirit Electronics as an authorized small-business reseller for aerospace and defense customers, Rochester Electronics for obsolete or surplus TI products, and Micross for wafer and die products. TI notes that different warranty terms may apply through these channels.

Verify the live list on the quote date and reconcile the legal seller, region, ship-from site, and intended product. A marketplace storefront, search-engine advertisement, or historical authorization letter is not equivalent to the current TI page.

The direct path is materially important for TI. TI.com provides inventory, pricing, quality and packaging information, direct ordering, and application programming interfaces. It may be the simplest route for catalog quantities, but an online cart does not replace forecast and commercial planning for production demand.

Select the Path from the Transaction Requirement

Use the product, quantity, service requirement, and program risk to select the starting channel.

Requirement	Starting path	Confirmation to obtain
Catalog quantity of an active packaged IC	TI.com or current catalog distributor	Full order code, inventory, packaging, order acceptance, ship date
Forecasted production	TI account path or authorized distributor appropriate to the region	Forecast process, acknowledged quantity, pricing, allocation and change notification
Aerospace and defense	TI or the applicable authorized special-market channel	Ordered qualification level, date/lot controls, warranty and documentation
Obsolete or surplus TI product	Rochester or another TI-identified path where applicable	Product status, authorized scope, warranty terms and source evidence
Wafer or bare die	TI or Micross where applicable	Die revision, wafer map, traceability, packing, handling and test data
Unplanned shortage outside authorized supply	Program-approved independent source	Risk assessment, source and lot evidence, inspection/test plan, loss of TI support

TI explicitly encourages purchases directly from TI or its authorized network and states that semiconductor products purchased outside that network do not receive TI warranty coverage or customer support. That commercial fact belongs in the shortage decision before an independent purchase order is issued.

Convert Online Availability into an Auditable Commitment

TI.com may show ready-to-ship inventory and future-availability information for selected devices. Preserve the distinction between information visible before checkout and an accepted order.

For production-relevant purchases, record:

• Complete manufacturer part number and product status.
• Quantity, carrier packaging, minimum or standard pack, and any custom-reel handling.
• Inventory or future-availability capture time and region.
• Order acknowledgement, estimated ship date, shipment notice, and received quantity.
• Price, currency, tax, freight, Incoterm, and cancellation or return terms.
• Certificate, quality, environmental, packaging, and reliability documents required by the program.

APIs can reduce manual monitoring and order-entry errors, but they do not make an estimated date firm. Define which field in the procurement system represents a TI acknowledgement and which is only a planning estimate.

Avoid repeating reseller claims such as universal 16-to-34-week MCU lead times or four price increases across the entire TI portfolio. TI sells analog, power, embedded, interface, sensor, and high-reliability products across many processes and packages. A useful availability report tracks a defined list of orderable parts, regions, quote dates, quantities, and acknowledged dates.

Compare Quotes Without Mixing Different TI Devices

TI’s suffixes can encode package, temperature, qualification, shipping media, or other order attributes. Normalize the line before comparing price or availability.

The comparison should include:

1. Base device and full orderable part number.
2. Package, pinout, temperature grade, and qualification.
3. Silicon revision or errata constraints where controlled by the program.
4. Packing method, reel quantity, moisture-sensitivity label, and date/lot requirements.
5. Lifecycle status, product-change notices, and last-time-buy dates.
6. Seller identity, channel status, stock ownership, and ship-from location.

A quote for a commercial-grade device is not an alternative to an automotive-qualified -Q1 part because the base function looks similar. Likewise, a bare die, known-good die, packaged component, and evaluation sample are separate deliverables.

TI offers a cross-reference search tool, but it should generate engineering candidates only. The TI PMIC alternatives guide discusses the deeper electrical and power-tree comparison needed before substitution.

Use Independent Supply as a Controlled Exception

An independent source may be considered when the original approved TI part is required and authorized recovery cannot meet the program date, or when the part is obsolete and no authorized solution covers the needed quantity. The exception should identify the affected lot, build, and expiration condition.

Before purchase, obtain:

• Seller legal identity, quality-system scope, ownership of the material, and upstream source information.
• Timestamped photos of all labels, seals, trays or reels, devices, date and lot codes, and quantity.
• Storage and handling history, factory-seal status, country of origin, and shipping location.
• Written return, nonconformance, destructive-test, and refund terms.
• An inspection and test plan tied to the package, device function, application risk, and available reference data.

TI warns that unauthorized-source products may be counterfeit, modified, beyond recommended shelf life, or improperly stored or handled. TI also states that it does not authenticate or support products from unauthorized sources. A third-party report must therefore stand on its own methods, samples, raw data, and acceptance criteria; it should not imply TI validation.

AS6081 certification can support the distributor-quality-system review, and IDEA-STD-1010 can support inspection planning. Neither is a part certificate. For critical devices, electrical testing may need to cover identifying functions or performance limits that visual inspection and X-ray cannot establish. Our authentication guide describes a risk-based sequence.

Prioritize Continuity by Requalification Cost

The most urgent TI line is not necessarily the one with the longest visible lead time. Rank parts by remaining coverage, acknowledged delivery, number of approved sources, product status, and time to validate an alternative.

Risk signal	Procurement response	Engineering response
Acknowledged date exceeds build need	Escalate authorized recovery and quantify approved exception quantity	Confirm whether schedule or existing alternate can absorb the gap
Single-source custom or high-integration device	Increase forecast and lifecycle monitoring	Start architectural contingency early
Standard-function device with qualified alternates	Keep current source commitments visible	Maintain validation evidence and configuration control
Product discontinuance	Reconcile lifetime demand and last-time-buy terms	Validate successor or redesign before the purchase window closes
Independent original stock proposed	Qualify seller and lot; document loss of TI support	Define authenticity/conformance evidence and release authority

Create a quarterly review for the limited set of parts whose shortage would stop production. Pull current TI lifecycle and quality data, authorized-channel commitments, inventory, approved alternates, and redesign duration into the same record.

This makes the TI article distinct from a generic authorized-versus-independent comparison. TI’s direct ordering tools and deliberately limited current distribution network are central to the strategy: use the direct and authorized paths for baseline supply, use special-market channels for their stated scope, and treat every independent purchase as a documented exception with evidence sufficient for the actual application.