Budget and mid-tier smartphones, PCs and storage devices could cost more in 2026 because of the steep rise in the demand for mechanised memory. Random Access Memory (RAM) is, at the same time, a crucial component of any modern PC, smartphone, gaming console and even cars. The timing of the memory shortage is clashing with the Microsoft Windows 10 end-of-life refresh cycle and the AI PC marketing push. “The shortage threatens to derail the industry’s growth narrative around AI PC,” the IDC said in a statement. The global market intelligence provider defines the AI PC as any PC with an NPU.

Source: The Telegraph December 30, 2025 04:43 UTC