The 2026 Hardware Crunch: Why Tech Prices Are Spiking — And What SMBs Need To Do Now
If you feel like every laptop, PC, firewall, or server quote lately has gone up faster than a teenager’s phone bill — you’re not imagining it. Your suppliers definitely aren’t imagining it either. In fact, many of them are openly warning us that RAM, SSDs, GPUs and other components are in short supply, and prices are changing weekly. One distributor put it bluntly: there are currently industry‑wide shortages of RAM, drives and GPUs, and quotes are only valid for 14 days due to ongoing volatility.
And on the ground? Even standard machines are coming back with messages like: “Prices have gone up recently due to the RAM shortages.”
So yes — it’s happening, and it isn’t a blip.
Let’s break down what’s going on, how long it’ll last, and what you, as an SMB, can do to avoid spending more than you need to.
What’s Driving the 2026 Tech Price Surge?
1. AI is eating the world’s memory.
Globally, memory prices soared 171.8% year‑on‑year in Q3 2025, making it one of the steepest DRAM price climbs in modern history.
Why? Because the world’s largest tech companies are consuming memory chips at record levels to feed artificial intelligence data centres. Analysts are clear: this isn’t a cycle — it’s a permanent reallocation of production capacity from consumer tech to high‑margin AI components.
2. Suppliers are choosing profit over volume.
Memory makers like Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron are prioritising HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) — the expensive stuff used in AI accelerators — because it delivers up to 3–5x higher profit margins than the RAM inside your laptop. This has pushed consumer DRAM supply downward, causing prices to jump 50–60% in Q1 2026 alone — the fastest increase ever recorded.
One chipmaker has even gone on record saying they are “sold out for 2026.”
3. Demand is colliding with the Windows 10 end‑of‑life refresh cycle.
IDC now predicts the PC market could shrink 5–9% in 2026 because RAM costs are hitting manufacturers so hard. For a deeper dive into global memory market data, you can read IDC’s market analysis here: IDC: Global Memory Shortage Crisis
Combine that with thousands of businesses trying to replace ageing Windows 10 machines this year… and you’ve got a bottleneck.
⏳ How Long Will This Last?
Bad news first:
- Micron projects tight supply through 2026 and beyond.
- IDC expects memory‑driven disruption into 2027, particularly for PCs and smartphones.
- New fabrication plants take 2–3 years to build, so relief isn’t coming soon.
This means we’re not looking at a short-term spike — we’re looking at two years of constrained supply, rising prices, and unpredictable lead times.
💸 What This Means for SMBs
In simple terms:
- Hardware will cost more next month than it does today.
- Lead times will be longer, especially for RAM‑heavy gear like PCs, laptops, servers and firewalls.
- Quote validity windows are shrinking — 7 to 14 days is the new normal.
And because smaller businesses don’t bulk‑buy or pre‑order a year ahead like hyperscalers, they feel the impact sooner and harder.
✔ What You Should Do Right Now (Practical SMB Advice)
Here’s your actionable, no‑fluff plan:
1. Pull forward any device replacements due in the next 6–12 months.
If you know a machine is coming up for renewal this year — don’t wait. You’ll almost certainly pay more later.
2. Approve quotes quickly.
Short quote validity isn’t a sales tactic — it’s literally because distributors are repricing stock multiple times a month.
3. Expect longer lead times.
We’re already seeing 1–3 month delays on some hardware even before the worst of the shortage kicked in.
4. Standardise your fleet where possible.
This makes procurement faster and helps us secure stock more efficiently.
5. Adjust budgets for 2026–2027.
Based on current data, expect:
- 6–8% increase in average PC pricing
- 50–100% increase in RAM
- Ongoing SSD and storage volatility
6. Don’t chase “too good to be true” deals.
If someone magically has cheap stock, it’s probably old, low‑spec, or risky grey‑market gear.
Help?
If your business relies on predictable hardware costs, now is the time to plan ahead.
We’re already helping customers lock in pricing, secure stock early, and build 2026–2027 replacement strategies before the market tightens further.
Get in touch and we’ll help you get ahead of the storm — not stuck in the backlog.
