AI Data Centers Drive Hardware Shortages and Rising Prices

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Demand from AI data centers is now outpacing the consumer PC market for core hardware components, according to Adata chairman Simon Chen. DRAM for HBM, NAND for SSDs, and even HDDs are seeing shrinking inventories, down to just two to three weeks of upstream stock, compared with the usual two to three months.

Chen warned that tight supply and higher contract pricing could persist into 2026 as production is increasingly steered toward AI and server demand. Analysts predict a DRAM supercycle lasting until 2027, driving consumer RAM prices higher. Retailers may face empty shelves for RAM and SSDs in the coming quarters.

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AI is creating a hardware drought — fewer chips for gamers and builders, more profits for data center suppliers.

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Perfectly summarized AI’s hunger for compute is squeezing every other market dry

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Massive AI data operations are consuming supply chains once dominated by consumer hardware.

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The demand surge highlights how infrastructure growth is reshaping global chip economics.