Major memory makers (Samsung, SK hynix, Micron) are reallocating advanced wafer capacity to high‑margin server DRAM and HBM for AI datacenters, causing conventional DRAM inventories to plunge and market prices to spike—TrendForce and Korea Economic Daily report quarter‑to‑quarter jumps of 55–70% with further gains expected into mid‑2026. The reallocation raises hardware costs for PC and smartphone makers, forces OEM product changes, and amplifies macro risks (inflation, capex bottlenecks) across the tech supply chain.
— A sustained, AI‑driven memory shortage reshapes consumer electronics pricing, cloud and AI deployment timelines, industrial policy and energy planning, making chip‑supply governance a live economic and national‑security issue.
msmash
2026.01.16
86% relevant
The article reports a large, rapid price spike across mass‑market HDD SKUs; this mirrors and extends the existing pattern where AI/data‑center demand tightens memory and storage markets (ComputerBase/Tom's Hardware data show HDD lines up 23–66% since Sept). HDD shortages function similarly to the documented DRAM/HBM memory crunch driven by AI capex, implying the same underlying driver—rapid compute buildouts—now hitting bulk storage.
BeauHD
2026.01.08
100% relevant
Korea Economic Daily / The Register reporting that Samsung and SK hynix will raise server memory prices up to 70% after 50% increases in 2025; TrendForce and IDC warnings about supplier inventories and multi‑year knock‑on effects into 2027.
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