📊Executive Summary

A global shortage of memory chips, driven by increased demand from AI data centers, is expected to lead to price increases for personal computers and smartphones in 2026. Major memory manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are reallocating production capacity towards high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and high-capacity DDR5 for AI applications, which is constraining the supply of conventional DRAM and NAND flash used in consumer electronics. As a result, average selling prices for smartphones may rise by 3-8% and PCs by 4-8%. The severity and duration of this shortage will depend on the speed of production capacity expansion and demand rebalancing across segments....