How a memory shortage impacts IT pros

Affordable memory might become a distant…recollection.

A shortage in hardware components like dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) has created a “perfect storm” for the PC market, according to a Dec. 18 report from tech intelligence firm IDC. Low supply and high demand for parts, the firm’s analysts say, will lead to long-term spikes in computing costs just as companies consider end-of-life refreshes and AI-enabled PCs.

The high prices present a problem for IT pros who haven’t finished their hardware holiday shopping.

“If you need to buy PCs, sooner is better,” Tom Mainelli, group VP of device and consumer research at IDC, told IT Brew. “Prices are going to continue to ramp up well into at least the middle of the year, if not longer.”

What’s driving the shortage? According to IDC’s end-of-year post, AI infrastructure expansion and demand—led largely by Big Tech companies—has reallocated memory manufacturing capacity away from consumer options such as DRAM and toward memory used in AI data centers, like high-bandwidth (HBM) and high-capacity DDR5.

Suppliers are prioritizing orders from hyperscalers building AI servers, IDC noted, which means less DRAM for consumer devices and more price pressures.

“The voracious demand for HBM by hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon, has forced the three biggest memory manufacturers (Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology) to pivot their limited cleanroom space and capital expenditure towards higher margin enterprise-grade components,” the IDC post concluded.

Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron reported high profits in 2025, thanks to the AI boom.

If the hyperscalers building out AI data centers (hyper)scaled back a bit—a long shot, Mainelli noted—memory prices could relax.

“But there’s really no indication that that’s about to happen,” Mainelli said.

Hyperscaler capex is expected to grow in 2026, according to a Goldman Sachs report.

What this means for IT. An end-of-year survey from IT management platform Spiceworks of over 800 global IT professionals revealed that laptops and desktops combined made up over one-third of hardware budgets—21% and 15% respectively. Another Spiceworks poll of 400 IT pros also found that small companies (i.e., firms with 99 people or less) deal with 31% of refreshes on an as-needed basis.

A higher memory market likely won’t help the ad-hockers.

Joseph Unsworth, VP analyst at Gartner, recommends that companies should monitor their existing infrastructure utilization to determine if they can wait on higher-cost servers and storage systems, given the tighter memory market.

“You’re going to pay too much now. Maybe you can get away with a 30% buffer, save some money, and you can always buy if you need to in the future,” Unsworth told IT Brew. “Just don’t shortchange yourself now.”

Meanwhile, Gartner predicts PC prices in H1 2026 to increase between 5% and 15%, according to Unsworth. For PCs, buy what you need, not what you want, Unsworth advises. If you’re going to change processors, DRAM, or solid-state drive (SSD) configurations, he added, make sure the hardware meets organizational needs today, as well as three to five years from now.

Those still delaying their Windows 11 update may have to do some math, according to Mainelli: Is the price of an extended security update worth the cost of a new computer?

“You don’t particularly want your employees on five- or six-year-old PCs,” Mainelli said, noting how practitioners will have to evaluate their capabilities, such as whether they can run AI locally.

“It’s a perfect storm in that right at the moment when you need more memory in PCs, memory prices are skyrocketing.”