In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has entered an unprecedented rapid development stage. New generation AI systems, giant language models and a series of large-scale data centers are being built around the world. This race is not only changing the way people work and access information, but also creating enormous pressure on the technology hardware supply chain.
Behind the giant AI systems is a huge amount of electronic components. Servers used to train and operate AI need huge amounts of RAM and storage memory to process data. As demand surges, component manufacturers begin to shift resources to serving customers with higher affordability, mainly technology companies building AI infrastructure. This makes the supply of components for consumer products, including personal laptops, limited.
The consequences of this shift are gradually becoming clear in the market. Prices of RAM and hard drives have increased sharply since 2025 and continue to escalate in 2026. According to many market analysts, the cost of popular memory and storage configurations alone has increased by 90 to 165 USD since the beginning of 2025. This increase has significantly changed laptop production costs, forcing manufacturers to adjust product strategies.
Inverted price law
The RAM and storage memory craze is becoming a factor reshaping the global personal computer market. For decades, the price of technology components has tended to decrease over time thanks to large production scale and technical advances. But the wave of AI development is reversing that familiar rule.
AI data centers consume a huge amount of DRAM and NAND memory, the two core components of RAM and SSD. These components are also the foundation of every laptop and personal computer. When AI companies are willing to pay high prices to ensure supply, component manufacturers have prioritized production for this segment.
As a result, the source of RAM for consumer products has decreased sharply. Major manufacturers such as Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron are shifting most of their production capacity to serve the AI server market, where the profit margin is much higher than laptops or phones. This shift has caused the personal computer market to fall into a component shortage situation.
RAM prices have therefore skyrocketed. Since the end of 2025, the price of desktop computer memory has increased many times compared to before. In parallel, the price of SSDs has also escalated sharply. Some types of memory have even doubled in a short time, causing laptop production costs to increase rapidly.
According to forecasts by research firm Omdia, the cost of RAM and storage memory may increase by at least 60% in the first quarter of 2026. This pressure forces computer manufacturers to make difficult decisions. Some companies increase retail prices of products, while others choose to reduce configuration to maintain stable prices.
This leads to a new trend in the laptop market in 2026. Many new models are sold with lower RAM capacity or smaller storage memory than the previous generation. Users may have to pay an equivalent, even higher price, but receive a more modest configuration.
Market reports show that this impact appears in most segments. Desktop computers are forecast to decrease by about 10% in shipments, while laptops may decrease by up to 12%. The total number of personal computers globally in 2026 is forecast to be only about 245 million units.
The scarcity of components also forces many manufacturers to reduce promotions and incentives that are common in the industry. When component costs increase sharply, manufacturers' profit margins shrink. Deep discounts as before become difficult to maintain.
In that context, many experts believe that laptop prices may continue to increase in the next few years. As AI companies continue to invest in data centers and hardware, the source of components for consumer devices will still be under great pressure. Users may therefore have to get used to a new reality: Laptops are no longer an increasingly cheaper product over time.
Affecting the entire low-cost computer segment
If the price increase of laptops in the high-end segment can be accepted by users to a certain extent, then the biggest impact of the RAM fever lies in the cheap and mid-range segments. This is a product group that depends heavily on optimizing component costs, so any price fluctuations can change the entire market structure.
According to Omdia's analysis, computer models priced under 500 USD will be most heavily affected. Machine shipments in this segment may decrease by up to 28% in 2026. The reason lies in the fact that cheap products have very low profit margins, so manufacturers can hardly absorb increased component costs.
Meanwhile, components used for cheap computers are often older generations or low capacity. When the supply of RAM and memory becomes limited, component manufacturers tend to prioritize supplying for higher-end products. This makes it even more difficult for cheap laptops to access the necessary components.
As a result, many computer manufacturers are shifting their focus to higher-priced models to protect profits. Consumers are therefore increasingly finding cheap laptops that still have reasonable configurations.
Even big brands have to adjust their strategies. Apple, a company famous for high-end products, recently introduced the MacBook Neo model priced at around $600. This is a rare price for Apple laptops, showing that the company is looking to approach the popular segment.
However, to achieve this price, MacBook Neo uses a rather modest configuration. The basic version only has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. This capacity is enough for basic tasks, but can limit performance when running heavier applications.
This strategy reflects a general trend of the entire industry. When components become expensive, manufacturers are forced to consider between selling price and configuration. If they maintain high configurations, machine prices will increase sharply. If they maintain low prices, configurations must decrease.
Other computer manufacturers such as Lenovo, HP or Dell are even under greater pressure as the amount of spare parts gradually runs out. When the RAM and SSD supply becomes limited, they are forced to adjust selling prices or change product configurations.
In that context, consumer behavior of computer buyers is also beginning to change. Some people are willing to spend more money to buy high-end laptops to avoid low configuration. Others are delaying equipment upgrades, waiting for a more stable market.
This trend may make the laptop market in the future clearly differentiated. High-end models may continue to develop with powerful configurations and high prices, while the low-price segment is increasingly shrinking.
