Memory chip shortage could push up prices of phones and laptops
Demand from AI data centres is displacing consumer devices in the allocation of scarce components.
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Phones and laptops could become more expensive as growing demand from AI data centres puts pressure on memory chips and other electronic components, TrendForce warns. According to market researcher TrendForce, new production capacity will offer little relief in the short term.
The pressure is not limited to familiar memory chips such as DRAM and NAND. TrendForce reports that ceramic capacitors, known as MLCCs, are also becoming scarcer because of the growth of AI systems. These components are needed on motherboards, in memory modules and in data-centre equipment.
According to the Taiwanese market research firm, major laptop manufacturers expect their orders to fall by an average of 10 to 15 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2026. Smartphone manufacturers are reportedly planning to scale back production mainly of cheaper and mid-range models.
According to TrendForce, the cause lies in production capacity shifting towards AI infrastructure. If specialised server components generate higher returns, that could reinforce the shift. Low margins on consumer devices could also make it harder to absorb higher component costs.
The impact on consumers will not be the same everywhere. Cheaper phones and laptops are the most vulnerable because memory accounts for a larger share of their cost price. Manufacturers could raise prices, provide less memory for the same amount of money or launch new models later.
A quick solution is not in sight. TrendForce expects additional production capacity for high-end MLCCs to become noticeably available only from 2028. This concerns a related component and is not an exact forecast for every type of memory chip, but it does point to a broader limitation in the supply chain.
Memory chip producer SK Hynix has also warned, according to The Register, that shortages could persist for longer. The company expects demand for AI memory to continue displacing the availability of conventional memory types for computers and mobile devices; for some memory segments, it even foresees tight supply until after 2028.
For Dutch consumers, this mainly means that replacing a phone or laptop could prove more expensive and that cheaper models could also rise in price. The final price will also depend on exchange rates, transport costs, competition between brands and whether manufacturers want to protect their profit margins. A general price increase for every device is therefore not yet certain.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s central argument is based on recent market information from TrendForce and a current warning from SK Hynix. The text clearly distinguishes between memory chips and MLCCs and does not present forecasts as certainties.
- confirmed TrendForce expects major laptop manufacturers to reduce their orders by an average of 10 to 15 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2026. — This is stated in TrendForce’s publication of 29 October 2026. source
- confirmed TrendForce reports that AI demand is increasing pressure on DDR5 memory and high-end MLCCs. — TrendForce describes the link between AI infrastructure, CPUs, DDR5 and MLCCs. source
- confirmed According to TrendForce, new production capacity for high-end MLCCs is unlikely to become available before 2028. — The source names 2028 as the earliest point at which new capacity could become meaningfully available. source
- confirmed SK Hynix expects the memory shortage to continue beyond 2028. — The Register quotes SK Hynix’s expectations of tight supply in 2027 and 2028 and beyond. source
- confirmed Cheaper devices are more vulnerable to price rises because memory accounts for a larger share of their cost price. — Gartner describes a stronger impact on entry-level devices and higher memory costs as a share of production costs. source
Editor's note
It is certain that demand for AI is putting pressure on memory chips and related components and that manufacturers are reporting tight supply. It remains uncertain how sharply individual brands will raise their prices; forecasts for 2028 or later do not apply to every type of component.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „geheugenchips smartphones”
- NRC — „geheugenchips smartphones”
- Tweakers — „geheugenchips smartphones”