RAM Shortage Expands to GPUs, SSDs, and Hard Drives, Threatening PC Industry

A looming RAM shortage, fueled by the demands of artificial intelligence, is expanding beyond standalone kits to impact GPUs, high-capacity SSDs, and even hard drives, potentially reshaping the PC industry by 2026, according to Ars Technica. The shortage, which began impacting direct-to-consumer RAM kits with price spikes of 300 to 400 percent by the end of 2025, is now affecting other components that rely on RAM and NAND chips.

The existing supply of products and longer-term supply contracts negotiated by large companies had initially helped keep prices from surging noticeably in these areas. However, the situation is evolving, and the rest of 2026 is expected to reveal the full extent of the price spikes flowing downstream into computers, phones, and other components.

One example of the potential impact is ASUS's possible discontinuation of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, which uses the same memory as the higher-end RTX 5080, according to Ars Technica. This exemplifies how manufacturers may prioritize products amid rising memory costs, ultimately affecting consumer options and pricing. The AI-fueled memory shortage is set to be the PC industry's defining story for 2026 and beyond, according to Ars Technica.