AI‑Memory Crunch Disrupts Markets

AI datacenter demand is triggering acute shortages in commodity memory (DRAM, SSDs) that ripple into consumer PC pricing, OEM product choices, and GPU roadmaps. Firms with early procurement (Lenovo, Apple claims) can smooth prices, while smaller builders raise system prices or strip specs, and chipmakers must weigh ramping capacity against the risk of a demand collapse. — This dynamic forces tradeoffs for industrial policy, antitrust (procurement concentration), and consumer protection because few firms can absorb or arbitrage the shock and capacity decisions now carry large macro timing risk.