Memory Chip Shortage Amid 'AI Boom' Raises Concerns Over Price Hikes for Smartphones and Other Electronics

Stock Prices of Memory Chip Manufacturers Soar

There are growing predictions that the prices of electronic products such as smartphones and computers could rise, due to a shortage in memory semiconductor supply caused by surging demand amid the race to build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.

Reuters Yonhap News

According to Bloomberg News on the 26th (local time), Dell Technologies (hereafter Dell), HP, and others have warned that there could be a shortage of memory chips in 2026. Additionally, Lenovo has reportedly increased its memory chip reserves by about 50% compared to normal levels, and Taiwanese PC manufacturer ASUS is also expanding its inventories.

Industry analysts point out that the explosive demand for AI chips is an indirect cause of the memory chip shortage. Memory chips are divided into general chips, which store information, and high-performance chips such as HBM (high bandwidth memory) that support AI computational processing. As memory chip manufacturers ramp up production of high-performance chips for AI servers, this is leading to a shortage of general chips.

Jeff Clarke, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Dell, a manufacturer of AI servers and computers, said, "I've never seen costs (related to memory chips) move at this pace," adding, "Costs are rising across all product lines."

The memory chip shortage could drive up manufacturing costs for products ranging from mobile phones to medical devices and automobiles. As a result, some companies are signaling product price increases. HP CEO Enrique Lores stated that the second half of 2026 is expected to be particularly challenging and that prices will be raised if necessary. HP estimates that memory chips account for about 15-18% of the cost of a standard PC.

As memory chip inventories decline and supply issues emerge, the stock prices of major memory chip manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology have surged in recent months. U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley, which drew attention last September with a pessimistic report warning of a memory chip supply glut, has completely reversed its stance in this month's report, now predicting a boom in the memory chip market, including price increases, thanks to AI-driven demand.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.