Asus has officially announced a price adjustment for several of its products starting January 5, 2026. This decision comes amid rising costs of key components, mainly driven by the global memory and storage supply crisis. The surge in demand linked to artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is a significant factor behind this trend.
The company conveyed this update through an official letter to its business partners, which was later reported by Digitimes. Although Asus did not disclose the exact magnitude of the price increases for individual products, it emphasized that the move was carefully evaluated rather than sudden.
Reasons Behind the Price Increase
Asus cited multiple factors influencing the price adjustment, including market conditions, supply chain stability, and a commitment to maintain product quality. "After thoroughly evaluating the market situation, supply stability, and product quality commitments, Asus remains focused on delivering leading technology and R&D capabilities to our customers," the company stated, as reported by Wccftech.
The price changes are strategic and will only apply to certain product portfolios. The goal is to ensure stable supply, preserve quality standards, and support a wider industry ecosystem amid ongoing cost pressures spanning the entire supply chain.
Impact of the Memory and Storage Crisis
A critical driver of component cost inflation is the soaring demand for AI-related infrastructure. Data centers, AI servers, and large-scale computing operations now require substantially more memory and storage than typical consumer devices. This has caused significant supply constraints for vital components such as DRAM, NAND flash memory, and SSDs.
Additionally, shifts in upstream manufacturing capacity and rising investment costs for suppliers have exacerbated supply shortages. As a result, prices for these components have surged sharply, forcing hardware manufacturers like Asus to adjust their retail prices accordingly.
Products Likely Affected by Price Hikes
While Asus has not revealed specific products subject to the price increase, those heavily dependent on memory and storage are expected to be most impacted. These include:
- Laptop computers
- Custom-built desktop PCs
- Graphics cards (GPUs)
- High-performance computing devices
Consumers in productivity, content creation, and gaming segments are likely to experience the most direct effects from these pricing adjustments.
Industry-Wide Trend
Asus is not alone in implementing such price increases. Other major players, such as Dell and Framework, have already announced similar measures to counter mounting component costs. Dell, for instance, disclosed price hikes of up to 30 percent for certain product lines, illustrating the broad nature of the cost pressures faced across the PC and hardware market globally.
Manufacturer Strategies to Cope
Some manufacturers and system integrators are exploring alternative strategies to alleviate price pressures. A growing trend is selling pre-built PCs without RAM installed. This approach offers customers flexibility to supply their own memory modules or purchase from third-party vendors at potentially lower prices, helping to reduce the initial cost even though some expenses shift to the buyers.
Sharp Increase in RAM and NAND Prices
Market data indicates that RAM prices surged about 171 percent by early November 2026, while NAND flash prices escalated approximately 246 percent by mid-December that year. These extreme hikes underline an ongoing memory supply crunch. However, analysts predict gradual price stabilization during the second half of 2026, supported by increased manufacturing capacity and improved global supply chains.
Consumer Advice Amidst Rising Prices
Given this challenging environment, consumers are advised to plan their electronics purchases carefully. Buying devices prior to the January 2026 price adjustment or considering alternative configurations may help mitigate the impact of rising costs.
The rapid advancement of AI and its associated computing demands suggest that component cost pressures will persist. Asus’s announced price increases signal the beginning of a new phase in hardware pricing, where consumers and the industry alike must adapt to evolving market realities.
