Computer buyers may soon have to dig deeper into their pockets. A growing shortage of memory components is pushing PC makers to warn of price hikes, with analysts predicting increases of up to 20 percent in 2026.
Analyst firm IDC says leading PC manufacturers have begun alerting customers about imminent price increases.
In a recent press note, IDC said companies including Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer and Asus have confirmed 15 to 20 percent price hikes and contract resets as part of an industry-wide response to tightening supply.
According to IDC, the DIY PC market will take the hardest hit from shortages and rising prices in the DRAM and SSD segments.
Smaller boutique vendors and local assemblers are expected to struggle the most, as larger vendors use their scale to negotiate better supply terms.
Memory prices have been rising for months
The sharp increase in DRAM and SSD prices has been building for months.
Companies such as SanDisk, Samsung and Micron have already warned of higher component prices. Black Friday marked a turning point, with brands like Framework, Minisforum and Raspberry Pi cautioning customers about upcoming increases.
A memo cited by TrendForce also indicated that Asus could raise prices by 10 to 30 percent, making it one of the latest PC makers to follow the trend.
Bigger vendors gain advantage
IDC noted that major OEMs will be better positioned to weather the shortages due to their negotiating power.
“White box as well as lower tier (often local) vendors will bear the greatest burden of the shortage,” IDC said, adding that this includes DIY systems often built by gamers.
The situation may allow large manufacturers to gain market share by positioning pre-built gaming PCs as better-value alternatives.
The primary driver behind the memory crunch is the rapid expansion of AI hyperscalers.
These companies are purchasing massive volumes of RAM and SSDs to build data centers for training and running AI models. Since the difference between server and PC memory is minimal, manufacturers are shifting production toward higher-margin server components.
As a result, less memory is available for consumer PCs, pushing prices higher across the market.
Pressure mounts on AI PCs
Ironically, the shortage is also creating challenges for AI-powered PCs.
Intel-based AI PCs often allocate up to half of their DRAM to VRAM, while AMD systems rely on configurable memory through Variable Graphics Memory. AI workloads run heavily on VRAM, making higher memory capacity critical for performance.
IDC noted that Copilot+ PCs require at least 16GB of DRAM, while many high-end systems are now moving toward 32GB or more—just as memory becomes harder and more expensive to source.
IDC has not officially revised its PC market forecast but said it is now offering multiple scenarios depending on how severe supply constraints become.
In the worst-case scenario, the global PC market could shrink by up to 8.9 percent, the firm warned.
The impact may extend beyond PCs.
IDC said memory can account for up to 20 percent of the build cost of lower-end smartphones, particularly Android devices. While larger companies like Apple may be better insulated, flagship phones may no longer see steady increases in RAM and storage.
