Prices for laptops, smartphones, and even game consoles are rising in several markets as memory chip supply tightens under pressure from artificial intelligence demand. Large-scale buying by AI data centers is absorbing components that were once widely used in consumer devices.
The result is a shift that feels unusual for consumer electronics, an industry long associated with falling prices. In several cases, buyers are now seeing higher sticker prices and lower specifications at the same time.
AI Data Centers Are Absorbing Memory Supply
According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, the surge in memory chip purchases by AI infrastructure operators is limiting availability for consumer devices. That puts electronics makers in direct competition for the same supply.
Pricewatch data from Dutch technology site Tweakers shows consumers are now paying between 50 euro and 200 euro more, depending on the memory capacity of the device they choose. Tomas Hochstenbach of Tweakers said consumers are used to electronics getting cheaper, but now the device they buy may have lower specifications than a model sold a year earlier.
Higher Prices Are Spreading Across Major Brands
The pressure is already visible across several well-known products. Samsung Galaxy A devices are selling for about 50 euro more than last year’s equivalent series, despite having almost the same specifications and memory capacity.
In gaming hardware, the PlayStation 5 is listed at about 100 euro more than it was at the start of the year. Microsoft has also announced a 50 euro price increase for Xbox consoles in the Netherlands starting in August, while Apple raised its laptop prices by at least 100 euro last month.
| Product | Price Change | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy A | About 50 euro higher | Compared with last year’s series, with nearly identical specifications and memory |
| PlayStation 5 | About 100 euro higher | Compared with the start of the year |
| Xbox | 50 euro higher | Effective in the Netherlands starting in August |
| Apple laptops | At least 100 euro higher | Raised last month |
Some Windows Laptops Now Ship With Less Memory
Not every change is showing up as a direct price increase. Some Windows laptop makers are now shipping devices with 8 GB of memory instead of the previous 16 GB standard, while keeping the selling price unchanged.
That means buyers may be paying the same amount for less hardware than before, a sign that supply pressure is still working its way through the market. Micron, one of the major chip makers, expects the shortage driven by AI demand to continue at least through 2028.
For consumers, that leaves the market in a difficult position as prices rise and specifications slip across several categories. The pressure on memory supply suggests the trend may remain in place for some time.
