Looking ahead: Manufacturers have warned since late last year that memory shortages would impact the prices of various devices in 2026 and beyond. With graphics card prices beginning their ascent, Zotac predicts severe shortages that could threaten the entire product category.

A recent memo from Zotac's South Korean division, translated by prominent leaker @harukaze5719, states that GPUs will become more expensive and difficult to obtain in 2026 and potentially beyond. As Asus and other manufacturers begin raising prices, Zotac does not currently see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Average prices for Nvidia's RTX 50 series and AMD's RX 9000 series graphics cards have trended upward in recent weeks, and the pattern is expected to continue. Noting recent price hikes for the RTX 5090 and 5060, Zotac warns of long-lasting shortages.

Furthermore, the company predicts that it may not be able to maintain stable supplies for the foreseeable future, admitting it is concerned about the very survival of graphics card manufacturers and distributors. The crisis primarily stems from rising contract prices for memory. As manufacturing shortages continue, Zotac described recent prices as unreasonable.

The ongoing AI boom has redirected DRAM and NAND manufacturing capacity toward data centers as tech giants, including dominant GPU maker Nvidia, race to build AI infrastructure. These buildout agreements have drawn accusations of circular financing, as many planned data centers will run on hardware that has not yet been manufactured. As AI struggles to gain consumer acceptance or increase corporate profits, many fear that a dangerous market bubble has formed.

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Amid the scramble, DRAM and NAND manufacturers Samsung and SK Hynix may increase prices by up to 70 percent. Furthermore, Nvidia reportedly plans to announce RTX 50 series price hikes next month, following board partners' lead.

Zotac warned that supply constraints will especially impact GPUs not manufactured by Samsung. Although the South Korean tech giant does not manufacture PC graphics cards, its in-house mobile GPUs power the company's smartphones and tablets. To ease PC card supply constraints, Nvidia is also considering reintroducing the RTX 3060, a GPU released in 2020 that utilizes the company's mature Ampere architecture, which is based on Samsung semiconductors.

The situation is also impacting other devices. Prices of SSDs and hard drives have skyrocketed, with some high-capacity models seeing hikes of hundreds or thousands of dollars. Smartphone manufacturers are expected to cut supply forecasts as well.