Even when you barely use AI, fairly quickly you’ll be paying the value for it.
Because of the demands of AI data centers, reminiscence provides are drying up for every kind of gadgets, from telephones and laptops to desktop PCs and sport consoles. Three corporations management almost all of the world’s DRAM manufacturing—Micron Know-how, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix—they usually’ve shifted manufacturing towards the kind of RAM that these information facilities run on. This comes on the expense of RAM for client electronics, leading to a scarcity that could last into 2028.
It’s early days for the fallout, however what appeared like an summary concern in 2025 is shortly changing into actual, as electronics makers increase costs, delay new gadgets, and cancel merchandise that aren’t important to their companies.
As an instance precisely how AI is sucking the life out of client electronics, right here’s a operating checklist of each gadget that’s being affected by the RAM crunch. I plan to replace this checklist over time, so be at liberty to achieve out via email or on Bluesky when you spot any extra dangerous information.
Worth hikes
- Standalone RAM kits for desktop PCs had been among the many first merchandise affected by the RAM crunch. As an example, a 32 GB RAM package from Essential that price round $70 in July now sells for $324.
- Framework has repeatedly raised RAM prices for its repairable laptops, so a laptop computer with 8 GB of RAM now prices $90 greater than it did in September.
- The Raspberry Pi 5 micro-computer with 16 GB of RAM now costs $205, up from $120 previous to December.
- Valve has discontinued the LCD mannequin of its Steam Deck gaming handheld, successfully raising the starting price from $399 to $549 for the model with an OLED display.
- Desktop PC maker CyberPower raised prices across all of its systems in December.
- Chinese language telephone maker Xiaomi raised tablet prices by $14 to $42 in December, and raised the value of its flagship 17 Extremely telephone by about $76 over the previous model.
- PC makers equivalent to Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus have all confirmed 15% to 20% price hikes within the months forward, in accordance with IDC.
- A Dell value checklist seen by Enterprise Insider confirmed price hikes for a range of laptops, together with will increase of $130 to $230 for Dell Professional and Professional Max laptops with 32 GB of RAM.
- It’s nonetheless a rumor for now, however sources inform Bloomberg that Nintendo is considering a price hike for its Change 2 console.
Delays
- Valve has indefinitely delayed its Steam Machine desktop/gaming system and its Steam Body VR system, and has held off on saying costs for both.
- Sources inform Bloomberg that Sony is contemplating a delay for its next PlayStation console till 2028 and even 2029.
- Sources inform The Data that Nvidia won’t release new graphics cards in 2026. This is able to be its first year in three decades with out new GPUs for gaming.
Disappearances
- Valve says its Steam Deck OLED gaming handheld will be “intermittently” out of stock as a consequence of reminiscence and storage shortages.
- Intel reportedly scrapped its highly anticipated B770 graphics card, with reminiscence shortages as a doable issue.
- Within the burgeoning “ChiFi” audio gear scene, HiBy Digital suspended pre-sales of its latest digital audio player in December.
Degradations
- In December, the market analysis agency TrendForce mentioned to expect laptops and phones with less memory than earlier models as an alternative choice to value hikes. This might end in low-end telephones with simply 4 GB of RAM, and laptops as soon as once more returning to eight GB of RAM as a baseline.
What’s subsequent?
The checklist of affected corporations remains to be lacking some large names, partly as a result of these corporations are in higher place to journey out the RAM scarcity. Apple, for example, negotiates long-term supply contracts well in advance for merchandise just like the iPhone, so it’s doubtlessly purchased itself extra time than opponents. Lenovo, in the meantime, confirmed that it’s been stockpiling RAM to minimize disruptions this 12 months.
There’s additionally an opportunity that different suppliers may step in to blunt the influence. In keeping with Jason England at Tom’s Information, Acer is now looking into the smaller RAM providers that haven’t gone all-in on AI, and might even see a chance to cater to client electronics particularly.
However provided that Samsung reportedly can’t even get extra RAM from itself for its forthcoming flagship telephones, some changes appear inevitable even for the most important electronics makers.
