Global income from the sale of semiconductors will continue to rise. So much so that in 2026 they will register the highest growth in the last 20 years until reaching 1.3 billion dollars, according to the consulting firm Gartner. That is, its analysts predict that Income from the sale of these chips will grow by 64% this yeary memory revenue expected to triplein a framework dominated by what is beginning to be called memflation, a phenomenon that describes high inflation and the sustained increase in the prices of memory chips.
Of course, Gartner analysts point out that although memflation is profound, it will not be permanent. Although its end is not as close as we would like. Indeed, according to the consultancy’s estimates regarding the annual prices of DRAM and NAND flash memory in the coming months, in 2026 they will increase by 125% and 234% respectively. A notable reduction in prices is not expected to occur until the end of 2027. That is, the decrease in its cost will not be noticed in the markets until 2028.
AI chips are expected to account for around 30% of the semiconductor industry’s total revenue by 2026, and will be one of the main drivers of industry growth. Hyperscalers’ investment in building AI infrastructure continues to advance, and their spending in this area is expected to increase by more than 50% this year. As a result, demand for AI accelerators, including GPUs and other custom chips, will grow.
Rajeev Rajput, Principal Analyst at Garterhas highlighted that «in Against a backdrop of high demand for AI processing, networking and data center power, and memory Price inflation (memflation), the semiconductor industry is expected to reach its third consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2026, a milestone that underscores the sector’s critical role in the AI technology stack.«.
Rajput also assures that memflation will destroy, or at least delay, non-AI-related demand until 2028. It will do so to a greater or lesser extent depending on the application. For this reason, he warns that technology providers «they must prepare to prices further elevated during he primer semester of 2026, followed of climbs of prices persistent but moderate a lo largo of the rest of the year. Los CIOs y los responsible of OF they must act con caution a the time of sign agreements of supply con conditions of prices unfavorable what with extend further there of 2027«.
