You can blame AI for lots of things, from the environmental impact of enormous AI data centers consuming massive amounts of land, water and power to AI slop that is somehow making advertising and social media even worse. AI is sucking meaning from our lives, and it also sucks at sudoku. You can also blame AI for the rising cost of computers.
The AI boom has led to a shortage of PC memory, as AI companies gobble up RAM and storage to power the thousands of servers in their growing number of data centers. This increased demand has resulted in a sharp spike in the price of RAM as memory-chip makers shift their manufacturing toward more profitable high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers and away from consumer-grade DRAM.
According to Counterpoint Research, DRAM prices have gone up 80 to 90% in just the first six weeks of 2026. Micron, in fact, will stop shipping its Crucial brand of DRAM entirely by the end of this month to "improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments." Those larger, strategic customers are AI companies.
As DRAM supply dwindles, prices rise for everything with DRAM inside it -- namely, laptops and desktops. And it could be years -- plural -- until prices start to come back down. At a Cisco conference earlier this month, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said, "There's no relief until 2028."
According to reports, Dell will raise prices for its computers by 15% to 20%, and Lenovo has said its prices will increase this year. You can expect the other PC vendors to follow suit. If you want to get ahead of the rising costs that are expected to hit sooner rather than later, here are two suggestions.
1. Don't delay if you're now shopping for a computer
With no relief expected until 2028, it doesn't make sense to wait. If you have money earmarked for your next laptop and can buy it now, I would make that purchase before the price goes up.
The major laptop makers and retailers are constantly rotating discounts, so you can usually find a good laptop deal if you keep tabs on pricing for a few weeks and buy on the dip. Prices are generally on the rise, but that doesn't mean you can't find a price on the decline during a laptop sale.
2. Buy as much preinstalled RAM as you can afford
Most laptops have soldered RAM that you can't upgrade after purchase, so this is a good general rule of thumb at any point when buying a laptop. But it is even better advice (if I do say so myself) at this specific point in time, with prices set to take off. If you can pack 32GB or even 64GB of RAM into that laptop you're eyeing, I say go for it.
... continue reading