Supply chain articles

Microsoft removes support page recommending 32GB RAM for gaming PCs

Ripple effect: The global memory shortage is battering the entire IT industry, and PC manufacturing is feeling it most acutely. Microsoft is well aware of the problem – so aware, in fact, that it's now scrambling to walk back its own earlier guidance on how much RAM a gaming PC actually needs.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ with Intel Arc G3 launches at $1,800

PCB prices are up 40% in a month because of a material most people have never heard of

RAM makers are taking on massive debt to keep up with AI's chip appetite

NAND contract prices surge over 600% since September 2025, DRAM up ~400%

The chip industry is booming again, but only for companies building AI infrastructure

Chipmakers on track to meet only 60% of AI memory demand by 2027

Memory card and flash drive pricing surges 120%, with some models spiking 260%

Microsoft just made its Surface laptops a lot more expensive

DDR5 prices drop nearly 30%, but memory costs are still far from normal

PC market posts modest growth in early 2026 despite memory shortages and economic strain

Memory spiked first, CPUs followed, now PCBs could be the next victim of the AI boom

In a nutshell: The ongoing AI boom has already inflated the cost of memory, storage, and processors, with effects spilling over to electronics incorporating those components. The impact of AI data center expansion is not expected to subside anytime soon, and to make matters worse, the conflict between the US and Iran threatens to worsen supply chain disruptions while creating new ones.

Judge blocks Pentagon from labeling Anthropic a national security risk

SK Hynix boss says the memory chip shortage is going to last until 2030

MSI plans to raise prices by up to 30% amid memory crunch

Drone strikes halt a third of the world's helium supply, threatening chip production

Laptops could soon cost 40% more, and you already know why

Apple now assembles a quarter of iPhones in India, signaling major supply chain shift

HP warns RAM now makes up 35% of the cost of building a PC

Apple is quietly assembling a US chip supply chain, one layer at a time

Researchers uncover firmware-level backdoor installed on several Android tablet brands

The Steam Deck is out of stock as the RAM crunch hits gaming hardware

Raspberry Pi 4 variant gains second DRAM chip as memory shortage persists

In a nutshell: Raspberry Pi is one of many companies affected by the ongoing memory shortage fueled by the AI boom. As the DRAM industry shifts focus toward higher margin products for Big Tech's ambitious data center projects, the UK-based foundation has had to adjust chip configurations on its PCBs to prevent further supply issues.

Kioxia warns 1TB SSDs under $50 are a thing of the past

Laptop makers have about a year of memory stock to ride out the RAM crunch, Intel says