The situation of the global technology market is deteriorating by the moment as artificial intelligence infrastructures continue to accumulate the majority of contracts and semiconductor production. The problem for the customer-focused segment, including enterprises, retailers, OEMs and consumers, is very serious. And not only because of a Price that is becoming impossible for many budgets, but also because of the lack of availability of chips. All this will have to be taken into account by purchasing departments in companies.
The semiconductor crisis is changing the dynamics of the market. The colossal data center infrastructures necessary to feed the insatiable AI models and the unbridled battle for global control of these technologies threatens to collapse the entire rest of the technology market in a problem that extends equally to servers, work machines or client computers and has caused a price increase of an unknown magnitude in this century in terms of amount and speed.
Chip producers have not hidden when it comes to explaining the situation. They are simply focusing on a more profitable market where the big AI companies pay what they are asked for in astronomical contracts in volume of units and prices. For the rest of the market segments, it is not even a solution to pay much higher prices, because the increase in delivery times is becoming the norm. So that nothing is missing, the war in the Middle East further complicates the situation with increases in transportation prices and additional problems with the supply of essential materials for the manufacture of chips, such as Helium.
Hardware Alert 2026: impossible prices, limited supply
The situation is not going to improve in the short term. Samsung increased DRAM prices by 30% at the beginning of this quarter. This price increase joins the 100% increase implemented in 2025. The South Korean firm is the world’s leading seller of solid state drives (SSD) and although it has less supply of RAM at the retail level, it is one of the main suppliers of these modules for original equipment manufacturers, especially laptops.
In addition, its semiconductor manufacturing division is at the top in the world and has a good part of the production compromised for AI infrastructure components, as is the case with the other two large memory manufacturers, Micron and SK hynix, which have committed the massive supply of wafers for memories used in servers such as the high-bandwidth HBM and have even announced their exit from the consumer market.
CPUs: the problem does not only affect memories
Intel plans to increase the prices of its CPUs by 15%, due to supply shortages related to the AI workloads and data center expansion. TechNewsDay reported that the company is reallocating manufacturing capacity toward AI and server products with higher profit margins. «“AI demand is absorbing a large portion of advanced node capacity and price adjustments reflect continued pressure across the supply chain.”they explain.
It is expected that AMD follow a similar price pathreflecting the shared dependence on TSMC advanced nodes and competition for CoWoS packaging capacity. This is reducing the availability of conventional CPUs and lengthening the delivery times of certain models with a high number of cores.
Delivery times for advanced processors are lengthening, especially for enterprise-grade components and those related to local AI development. Industry analysts cited by PCMag expect allocation controls to tighten during the second half of 2026, prioritizing hyperscale infrastructure and AI customers.
Business purchasing managers: how to deal with this situation
The combination of limitations in wafer production, bottlenecks in advanced packaging and strong demand for AI is transforming purchasing dynamics. Buyers face less flexibility in price negotiations and fewer opportunities to make one-off purchases.
The current price cycle reflects structural limitations more than short-term disruptions. Capacity expansion in advanced nodes and packaging facilities continues, but is unlikely to ease pressure before 2028. In the near term, component cost inflation is expected to persist in CPUs and related categories, including memory and power management ICs.
«Rising CPU prices, linked to demand for AI, are likely to reduce the availability of standard components. Securing allocation in advance and diversifying suppliers will be key to avoiding delays. “Cost volatility will continue to be a factor during the next procurement cycle.”analysts warn.
Another factor to take into account, especially by those responsible for purchasing in companies, is delivery times. As supply constraints worsen, delivery times have increased from one to two weeks to an average of eight to twelve weeks, and in some cases are extending up to six months, which will exert a additional pressure on server manufacturers to reevaluate their production schedules.
In this situation and in response to the semiconductor crisis driven by AI demand, which is expected to persist for several quarters, analysts recommend implementing a series of strategies to mitigate risks and maintain continuity of supply:
- Transition from “Just in Time” to “Just in Case” Approach: Reevaluate inventory strategy. The era of ultra-light supply chains could be giving way to more resilient models that prioritize business continuity over stock minimization.
- Identify products that depend on chips– Analyze the product portfolio to determine which goods and components depend on semiconductors. Monitor their availability and prioritize sourcing efforts accordingly.
- Create reserve inventory when feasible– When delivery times are unpredictable, consider increasing order sizes to build inventory reserves. This approach can help stabilize production during long delays.
- Strategically extend product life cycles: Evaluate how maintenance protocols and diagnostic procedures can be adjusted to safely delay the replacement of chip-dependent equipment.
- Rethink end-of-life practices: Instead of throwing away old products, keep some obsolete equipment for short-term use. This “equipment depot” approach can be invaluable during periods of supply shortages.
- Improve collaboration and transparency with suppliers– Work directly with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers to understand which chips are used in each product. This information can help you anticipate shortages and allow your team to take proactive measures.
- Validate alternative suppliers– Proactively validate alternative components and suppliers to avoid delays in changes during this crisis. Diversify supply channels, looking beyond authorized distributors and including independent distributors, middlemen and secondary markets to find hidden stock, ensuring rigorous testing to avoid counterfeit parts.
Finally, they recommend anticipate needs. AI demand is not a temporary spike. Large language models are not going to stop learning and will continue to need new infrastructure in the future, so they represent a long-term structural change.
