Experts Share: How Will The 2026 Global Memory Shortage And GPU Rise Impact Industries?

The supply of memory chips faces significant pressure as AI companies purchase more capacity than traditional phone and PC manufacturers. DRAM and NAND, critical in laptops and handsets, are also essential for large language models on a larger scale. IDC reported in December that the supply growth for these components in 2026 is expected to fall below historical norms.

An IDC analyst stated, "The memory market is at an unprecedented inflexion point, with demand materially outpacing supply." The analyst added, "The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and workloads is exerting significant pressure on the memory ecosystem."

Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron dominate consumer device output and also manufacture high-bandwidth memory for AI systems. AI buyers are placing substantial orders. OpenAI has allocated approximately $1.4 trillion for data center projects over eight years. Meta forecasts AI infrastructure spending for 2025 to reach $70-$72 billion. Google anticipates capital expenditures of $91-$93 billion this year. IDC noted that hyperscalers purchase significantly more chips per order, reducing the availability for consumer devices.

IDC anticipates sales pressure for device manufacturers as memory costs represent a larger percentage of production expenses. For mid-range devices, memory already constitutes 15% to 20% of total costs, according to IDC. Limited supply results in higher costs for brands or increased prices for consumers.

The research group revised its 2026 forecast, initially predicting a 0.9% decline in global smartphone sales. In December, it projected a 2.9% decrease under a moderate scenario and a 5.2% drop under a pessimistic scenario. PCs experienced a similar adjustment with a decline from 2.4% to 4.9% and potentially as much as 8.9%.

Price adjustments have commenced. Dell informed employees via an internal email that "global memory and storage supply are tightening quickly," resulting in planned price increases from $55 to $765 for high-end memory. Asus also announced price hikes, citing DRAM costs, while Framework raised prices for DDR5 modules due to "a period of extreme memory shortages and price volatility."

China Times reported that Taiwanese card manufacturers have adjusted pricing for AMD and Nvidia RTX 50 series products. MSI announced a second price revision, with Asus and Gigabyte potentially following suit.

DDR6 and DDR7 VRAM price increases prompted AMD and Nvidia to raise wholesale prices by 10% to 15%, depending on the model. Retail partners determine the extent of price changes for shoppers. Price adjustments often occur quietly through listings and stock mix.

In Europe and China, AMD RX 9000 card prices rose by 10% to 18%. Nvidia RTX 50 series cards with 16GB VRAM saw increases of 15% to 20%. Nvidia has focused on 8GB models such as the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti, which are less costly to produce.

Sashin Gaji, CEO of Synopsys, stated, "The memory shortage will persist until 2026 and 2027." He noted, "Most memory produced by major companies is being directly allocated to AI infrastructure ." Lenovo's finance chief Winston Chung mentioned, "Memory prices will rise due to high demand and insufficient supply." TrendForce projects memory revenue of $842.7 billion in 2027, a 53% increase, following a 53% to 58% surge in DRAM prices late last year, with further increases expected early this year.

Industry Impact of 2026 Global Memory Shortage and GPU Price Rise

Experts provide insights into the global DRAM shortage, its effect on GPU pricing, industry implications, and underlying causes.

Michael Wu , GM and President, Phison Technology Inc. (USA) Joyce Odette Reyes , Business Intelligence, Technology & Growth Expert, Strategic Growth XP Jon Bikoff , Chief Business Officer, Personal AI Val Cook , Chief Software Architect, Blaize, Inc Scott Dylan , Founder, NexaTech Ventures

Michael Wu, GM and President, Phison Technology Inc. (USA)

"AI has fundamentally changed the global memory demand and consumption rate. Initially, the focus was on GPUs for AI training, but now the emphasis is on driving revenue through inference on trained data, shifting focus to storage due to the data generated. This shift drives sustained demand for high-capacity NAND flash and DRAM across data centers , edge devices, and client systems. Storage architectures are rapidly moving from HDDs to SSDs, increasing NAND bit requirements.

"Adding meaningful capacity is not a quick process, especially in the current memory supercycle. Advanced 3D NAND and DRAM nodes require significant long-term capital investments, and new fabs take years to plan, build, and ramp. Data center operators and OEMs must treat memory and storage as strategic resources that impact AI services' performance and cost."

Joyce Odette Reyes, Business Intelligence, Technology & Growth Expert, Strategic Growth XP

"The global memory shortage, driven by explosive demand for GPUs in AI, cloud computing, and advanced analytics, is not scaling fast enough to support required hardware. Industries such as AI, data centers, automotive, and consumer electronics will face higher costs, longer deployment timelines, and tighter competition for hardware. Smaller companies may struggle to scale due to rising costs.

"The root causes include underinvestment during previous downturns, long semiconductor development cycles, manufacturing complexity, and a rapid shift toward memory-intensive workloads. This shortage may accelerate industry consolidation, push companies to optimize software efficiency, and increase investment in alternative architectures, sustainability, and edge computing."

Jon Bikoff, Chief Business Officer, Personal AI

"For most industries, the RAM market is downstream and invisible. We often run inefficient workloads, moving massive uncompressed files. The current memory crunch will reward companies that optimize workloads and run efficient, distributed systems. Instead of large, inefficient systems, the focus should be on efficient, smaller models."

Val Cook, Chief Software Architect, Blaize, Inc

"The narrowing focus of memory chip providers signals high demand for AI solutions and the need for a practical approach to providing these solutions. Blaize believes in a hybrid architecture where heterogeneous devices cooperate, applying the appropriate level of compute and memory bandwidth, enhancing overall solution efficiency. This approach meets AI processing demands and supports sustainable technological advancements."

Scott Dylan, Founder, NexaTech Ventures

"The 2026 memory shortage is structural, not cyclical. AI is winning the battle for global wafer capacity. High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is central to this crisis, with AI accelerators requiring significant wafer capacity. Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google, and Meta are placing substantial orders, leaving limited capacity for consumer markets. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron control 95% of production, and HBM capacity is sold out through 2026.

"PC manufacturers face 15-20% price increases, with memory now representing 15-18% of production costs. The smartphone market is vulnerable, reversing a decade of specification democratization. Automotive production may face disruptions by 2028, and household electronics could become prohibitively expensive.

"This shortage is due to manufacturers reallocating production capacity toward high-margin enterprise products. DRAM prices surged, with SK Hynix overtaking Samsung in revenue for the first time since 1992 due to HBM sales. Data centers will consume 70% of global memory production in 2026. The shortage is expected to persist into 2027 or 2028.

The strategic dimension is concerning, with three companies controlling most global DRAM production, creating systemic vulnerability. Geopolitical fragmentation compounds the problem, with export controls and friend-shoring increasing supply chain uncertainty. The era of cheap, abundant memory has ended, and industries without long-term supply agreements will face cost and availability challenges."

Based on reporting by techround.co.uk.