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RAMaggedon not expected to ease this year as IDC cuts 2026 PC market forecast again

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Why This Matters

The IDC's downward revision of the 2026 PC market forecast highlights ongoing memory shortages and geopolitical tensions that threaten to prolong high RAM prices and supply constraints. This situation could lead to increased costs for consumers and slower innovation in the tech industry, emphasizing the importance of supply chain resilience. As memory shortages persist into 2027, industry players and consumers should brace for continued market volatility and price hikes.

Key Takeaways

We've been seeing all sorts of warnings about how RAMaggedon is nigh. The latest horseman signalling a disaster is the International Data Corporation, which had already cautioned that things were looking bad at the end of 2025. Today, the organization further cut its forecasts for the PC market in 2026, anticipating that global shipments would fall 11.6 percent. The previous report projected that this year would see a falloff of up to 8.9 percent due to ongoing memory shortages. And the new figure was set before the escalation of conflicts in Iran and across the Middle East, which could further deflate computing and other industries.

"Memory shortages will persist well into 2027," Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, said in the latest forecast. "While we anticipate some easing of prices beginning in 2028, the market is unlikely to return to the pricing levels seen in 2025."

This market report echoes price changes and official statements from all corners of the tech and computing sector. So far this year, we've already seen surging memory costs impacting HP, Samsung, Valve and Framework. Don't be surprised if many other major players follow suit.