Current technology prices all over the world are continuing to rise. This is due to artificial intelligence (AI) companies buying out semiconductor production for semiconductors that have not even been produced yet.
Semiconductors are usually conductive wafers of silicon and metal with glass between the two. They are one of the most used components for modern technology, and are found in everything from household appliances to smart watches, and their prices are increasing.
The main culprit is AI’s excessive need for these semiconductors. Random Access Memory (RAM) is a larger component made of semiconductors that are used to hold and store data for a computer system to access at a moment’s notice. AI uses RAM to store and log chat data with Large Language Models (LLM), and when generating ideas, images, and text editing.
The need for RAM is expanding as more and more people use AI. The RAM and data centers needed to support the increased demand is causing shortages in critical electronic components worldwide. This has affected certain consumer markets drastically so far.
The main markets that have been hit hard are those that also require large amounts of RAM, such as computer engineering and gaming.
Graphs made by PCPartPicker, a trusted and widely used source of computer parts prices, noted a steep increase in RAM prices starting an upward trend in October of 2025, with current prices remaining at an all time high as of February 2026.
RAM is not the only thing rising in price. While AI data centers use RAM to actively run, but they also store large quantities of data that need to be accessed frequently and quickly, which is what Solid State Drives (SSD) do.
Marked on a similar graph by PCPartPicker, SSD prices have also been increasing, although not as fast as RAM.
While many may not know what these components are, I can guarantee every student in high school uses them in some way. When supply prices to critical components, like RAM and SSDs, rise, companies follow suit to meet price demand, meaning phones, laptops, and even smart appliances may increase in price.
What this means is that most electronic devices will have a steep price.
Additionally, with how extreme RAM shortages are, laptops, gaming consoles, and phones will increase in price. This leaves two options with the same outcome.
Companies will either decrease production, causing demand to rise and prices to increase, or they keep with production, but prices increase due to ever increasing material costs. This all culminates to development stagnation in new technology and economic growth as AI becomes a dominant market.
According to Bloomberg Business News an anonymous source stated that Sony is considering delaying the PS6 to as late as 2029 because of increasing RAM and component prices.
Tech Radar covered a story in which Nintendo President, Shuntaro Furukawa, was ‘closely monitoring the issue’ when speaking about RAM shortages. This could be hinting at future price increases for the new Nintendo Switch 2.
These price increases, and supply chain interruptions are all in part due to AI. A recent deal made between OpenAI, and the two largest RAM producers, Samsung and SK Hynix, for 900,000 wafer starts or production cycles, which equates to roughly 40 percent of global RAM production. This is not accounting for the other AI companies out there like Grok, Nvidia, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, and more.
All this leads to less supply to consumer markets.
What makes it worse is the amount of the market currently held by AI, and the deeper you dive into the rabbit hole, the worse it gets. One of the big three producers of semiconductors, Micron, left the consumer market entirely for AI companies. Making the market worse.
“The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business, in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments,” Sumit Sadana, Chief Business Officer at Micron Technology, said.
Micron made up roughly 26 percent of the global market for semiconductors, and their consumer business, Crucial, made up to 25 percent of all RAM production. In addition to the deal mentioned earlier, roughly 66 percent of the global semiconductor production, and subsequently electronic devices, is either already claimed, or being used. This leaves less than 40 percent of the market for consumers.
We as consumers are the most valuable and lucrative for these companies, but right now they’re putting everything they have into AI and hoping the “AI bubble” doesn’t pop.
Currently, from the trends, graphs, and other sources publicly available, prices seem to have capped off and hit a plateau. If this is the case, that is a good sign. However, if shortages get worse, the prices will increase, and the use of AI will grow.
