Major PC manufacturers are preparing for a noticeable increase in prices for their products due to a shortage of RAM (DRAM). ASUS was one of the first to announce such measures — the company intends to increase the cost of computers by up to 30%.
According to a UDN report, the increase will so far affect the consumer market in Taiwan, but analysts do not rule out that over time the price increase will spread to other regions as well. Following ASUS, similar steps may be taken by other major players, including Acer and Dell.
The reason for the price increase is the prolonged DRAM shortage, which is putting pressure on the entire industry. Previously, manufacturers kept prices down due to accumulated component stocks, but now the situation has changed — access to memory has become much more difficult, and its cost has increased. This directly affects the cost of devices.
Additional problems are created by other factors: rising prices for SSD drives, a shortage of processors and video cards. All this creates a difficult situation in supply chains, forcing companies to balance between the stability of supplies and maintaining profits.
Experts note that in such conditions, a price increase becomes an almost inevitable step. Moreover, the budget PC segment may significantly shrink or even disappear in the coming years if current trends continue. PC shipments this year are also expected to decline at a double-digit rate.
Amid the crisis, many manufacturers, including ASUS, Acer and Dell, are actively diversifying their business, strengthening their presence in the server solutions and contract manufacturing segment to take advantage of the growing demand for infrastructure for artificial intelligence.