ASUS increased shipments by 20%, HP fell by 5% — the gap between winners and losers in the memory crisis is becoming obvious.
Two competing phenomena define the state of the market in 2026: a rapid rise in memory prices and frantic attempts by PC manufacturers to stock up on components before prices rise even further. Counterpoint Research documented the scale of the price shock in Q1 2026: DDR4 memory for laptops increased by 110% in price, budget SSD drives by 147%. The reason is systemic: Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are reallocating production lines to meet the needs of AI data centers, leaving the consumer market to be served on a residual basis .
The PC market took the lead, but it won't help: AI is reshaping the entire memory industry for the long term
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ASUS increased shipments by 20%, HP fell by 5% — the gap between winners and losers in the memory crisis is becoming obvious.